The Zen of Soloing

[Duskrequim]

I solo to level 55.... there is no reason to group before this point. with Oricron you can get 168 rank gear.. then you can worry about doing weeklies for ultimates to get 180 gear... pretty simply.

[KyaniteD]

Your signature is kinda ironic ;P

 

If something is deliberately made hard to read, I consider it not meant to be read. If you think that the light colors used for emphasis in my signature make it hard to read, then yes, it's kinda ironic.

[midianlord]

I remember this one Flashpoint run --I misremember which instance now, False Emperor [HARD], if memory serves-- where we zoned in, started going for a bit, and then two of the people just stopped before the first pull.

 

The tank asked what the hold-up was, and one of them --no, not me! I really am one of those guys that just wants to get 'er done for their comms and creds for the [DAILY]/[WEEKLY]-- said "oh, we're duelling." I pan my camera back, and sure enough, there they are, duelling.

 

/Sigh....

 

They had to have their duel, right then. They couldn't have had it before, whilst waiting for their queues, they had to have it, right there and then, with their PuG-tank and PuG second DPS (me) waiting on them.

 

Sometimes, you really can't do anything else but /facepalm and count to ten.

 

And that's reason #1,475,654,889 why I am leery of guilds, and have had at best, somewhat "mixed" results with guild-runs, and also wonder when EAWare will give us an "Ignore all members of this guild" functionality on our white/black-list.

 

E:

 

As someone below my post said, and they said it perfectly: People are just ridiculous.

Edited April 21, 2014 by midianlord

[DarthKaldriss]

Can someone translate what the OP wrote? My eyes started to bleed the second I tried to read it.

[Essence_of_Light]

Can someone translate what the OP wrote? My eyes started to bleed the second I tried to read it.

 

Here:

 

I am a solo-er.

 

Yes, I am vaguely aware that SWToR is an MMORPG. I am also aware of guilds, groups, friend’s lists, raiding parties, etc. I am painfully aware that the really juicy mission rewards come from group content. But here’s the thing: I just don’t like grouping. Not at all; not in the least.

 

Don’t get me wrong: I love to type till my fingers bleed in the gen chat window, or trade some social pleasantries with guildies. But group for a Heroic or an FP? Nah.

 

You see I like to play at my own pace, take a pee whenever I want, make a sammich at a whim, wipe off the keyboard because said sammich sprayed mustard/ketchup/mayo (not all at the same time, mind you) and my hands are a gooey mess, take a phone call, get myself a cold, frosty beverage, interact with Spousal Unit, or just stand up and stretch my back to prevent Butt Fatigue Syndrome.

 

Also soloing means I can log off at any time, in any place without the guilt of abandoning the person you grouped with. I cannot tell you how many times I played FAR too long into the night because I felt an obligation to stick with a guildie to complete an H4 or FP.

 

Besides when you solo you don’t have to worry about breaking someone else’s CC, or getting pissed because someone else broke your CC, or worry about Need vs Greed, or just getting generally irritated because their Greed roll was 99 and yours was a 98 and you really, really WANTED that item, but you didn’t want to be a douche because you were both the same class.

 

So, yes, I am a solo-er. My gear sucks, my rotation mediocre at best. But I am at peace with myself, I am balanced with the Force, I’ve got so much Zen I’m practically tripping over it.

 

So if you’re in the Outer Rim, traipsing on one of those humongous planets, and come across a toon named “Hera-something,” feel free to throw me a buff or two, but don’t ask me to group because I’m probably eating a turkey and swiss sammich with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, garlic, and just about anything else you can cram between two slices of bread, all topped-off by an absurd amount of mustard.

 

PS: anyone know if you can clean your keyboard by soaking it in a sink full of soapy water?

 

Copy & pasting FTW.

Edited April 21, 2014 by Essence_of_Light

[AlrikFassbauer]

Can someone translate what the OP wrote? My eyes started to bleed the second I tried to read it.

 

L2R.

 

You just had to mark the text, it would have changed its colour, then. Strange that people don't come up with the most simple ideas.

[DarthKaldriss]

Here:

 

 

 

Copy & pasting FTW.

Cheers matey.

[OddballEasyEight]

I'd just like to chime in there that I am a solo player, but I can't for the life of me agree with the OP.

 

Not because the OP is wrong or anything, but because I can't read a word the OP wrote with that god-awful colour they picked.

It's nice to be special and want to stand out from the crowd, but please pick a colour that doesn't strain the eye when trying to read it.

[Tsillah]

When I do dailies on for example Oricon or Ilum, I always solo them. Why? Because, strange as it may seem, doing them solo actually goes faster. Sure, technically doing them with a group is faster, but then you haven't calculated in the human stupidity factor.

 

One extra example I can offer was a flashpoint. Group of 4. Halfway the fp, the tanks says, hang brb, I gotta go take a shower. He came back 20 mins later like nothing happened. We only stayed to get his reaction for when the rest of us quit the group right then and there when he got back. He really didn't get why we quit. Seriously, people are ridiculous.

 

So for me, when I can avoid it, I avoid people. I find though that 16 man sm ops are generally ok and it can stand having a couple of idiots on board.

[MilesTeg_cy]

Is it normal that much of "eating and drinking" involved in zen?

 

Well the answer is "yes" I believe.

 

Buddha says that his best known miracle is "to drink when he wants and to eat when he wants"

 

So go for it dude...

Edited April 21, 2014 by MilesTeg_cy

[Sendrel]

One extra example I can offer was a flashpoint. Group of 4. Halfway the fp, the tanks says, hang brb, I gotta go take a shower. He came back 20 mins later like nothing happened. We only stayed to get his reaction for when the rest of us quit the group right then and there when he got back. He really didn't get why we quit. Seriously, people are ridiculous.

 

The biggest reason why I don't group as much as I did when I first started playing MMO's is that right there. Because my circumstances have changed pretty dramatically in the intervening 15ish years and I'm unwilling to force others to stop and wait every time I need to afk, which is a pretty common occurance these days.

[kimdante]

Love the OP's post. I am also a solo-er whilst out in the world. I will occasionally run Flashpoints because I like the gear and I am a skilled tank/dps, but for the most part my patience for impolite, terrible players wears thin quickly. I've been known to use the /kick tool generously. And my ignore list prevents me from getting grouped with the server bads.

 

However, running flashpoints with guildies is another matter entirely. Quickly and skillfully clearing a flashpoint with competent players, and joking around, rp-ing, and chit-chatting the whole way, is quite fun. There are no arguments on who gets what usually and you get to see a lot of story content you'd be missing out on if you were purely a solo-er (like the first time I ran Foundry, amazing)

 

Like the OP I refuse to be rushed through my class story. I like to immerse myself in my characters story and fully absorb the dialogue. I refuse to be rushed through this. ALso, When questing on a planet I like to have the option to stealth up so I can go grab a drink, check on my kid, or take a bio (I play on a PVP realm so leaving the main roads or hiding when afk is paramount) without having to make someone wait

Edited April 21, 2014 by kimdante

[ImmortalLowlife]

I'm a solo player.....one of my characters is a smuggler named "AnothaSolo" LMAO. So op I'm wit cha bro, and that sammich sounds good as hell!

 

But I play solo mainly because I've got 2yr old twin daughters, and never know when I'll hear "daddy I gotta go potty" "daddy I'm hungry" or my personal favorite.... "daddy, I boo boo'd" LMAO And they both like to sit on my lap and watch me play Which makes it difficult to play with a mouse/keyboard.

[_NovaBlast_]

I am a solo player i started swtor not not long before the last double xp weekend . The reason I am is for a lot of reasons that you have mentioned. Currently I am doing my first run though of Swtor and am at level 45 . I have managed to complete all planets up to the point completely ( except for heroics) and have not grouped once and I have not done any flashpoints pvp and only 1 space mission(not that that is a group thing i don't think but just saying) ( saving them till maxed....dont know why just am )

 

Mostly the reason is people take things way to seriously and seem to have nothing better to stress out . really if a game stresses you out why do you keep playing it ?

 

I don't have to have grouped to know grouping in swtor is probably the same as any other mmo. The only difference is from what i have read you have a vote to kick option in here which i am sure gets abused when you have a group where "elitists" out number a "casual"

 

Even in this forum seem people stressing out about stuff that really makes me facepalm I have seen threads of with comments

 

" whining omg he need for a companion "

" omg they didn't tank right "

" omg "l2p"

"learn your role "

 

I even saw one where the person was complaining becase they didn't like how people were picking their skills and they wanted the skill tree nerfed so you could only pick skills in a way they thought was "acceptable"

 

 

Really they start acting like the guy on the assembly line to puts 2 bolts on the product and continues on to the next one. Elitists claim If you are going to tank you need to have equipment abc and take skills cdf and activate skills 123 in battle you do things then this in that order.

 

Really how is any of that "fun" I just like going in bashing stuff and playing the game how i want with the skills i want. You can still do that in a group and have it be successful.

 

Now just to clarify In other games I have played in groups i do not troll but i do not play in a "robotic" way either . I just try to kill as much stuff as i can and finish the event . That where the problem comes in not becase i am a "bad" player but becase i don't follow the robotic progression.

 

Anyways good to see some people standing up for solo players I just wanted to add my support to this thread.

Edited April 25, 2014 by _NovaBlast_

[Damask_Rose]

When I do dailies on for example Oricon or Ilum, I always solo them. Why? Because, strange as it may seem, doing them solo actually goes faster. Sure, technically doing them with a group is faster, but then you haven't calculated in the human stupidity factor.

 

One extra example I can offer was a flashpoint. Group of 4. Halfway the fp, the tanks says, hang brb, I gotta go take a shower. He came back 20 mins later like nothing happened. We only stayed to get his reaction for when the rest of us quit the group right then and there when he got back. He really didn't get why we quit. Seriously, people are ridiculous.

 

So for me, when I can avoid it, I avoid people. I find though that 16 man sm ops are generally ok and it can stand having a couple of idiots on board.

 

I had the exact same thing happen back when I played City of Heroes! I can't even bring myself to take a minute to pee during a flashpoint, let alone shower. So I can't drink beer if I'm going to group.

[_NovaBlast_]

I had the exact same thing happen back when I played City of Heroes! I can't even bring myself to take a minute to pee during a flashpoint, let alone shower. So I can't drink beer if I'm going to group.

 

now thats dedication lol although I don't know how long flashpoints last but i would probably go before it started to avoid that type of situation but could probably wait till it was over as well.

Edited April 23, 2014 by _NovaBlast_

[Kalfear]

Quote: Originally Posted by Tsillah View Post

When I do dailies on for example Oricon or Ilum, I always solo them. Why? Because, strange as it may seem, doing them solo actually goes faster. Sure, technically doing them with a group is faster, but then you haven't calculated in the human stupidity factor.

 

One extra example I can offer was a flashpoint. Group of 4. Halfway the fp, the tanks says, hang brb, I gotta go take a shower. He came back 20 mins later like nothing happened. We only stayed to get his reaction for when the rest of us quit the group right then and there when he got back. He really didn't get why we quit. Seriously, people are ridiculous.

 

So for me, when I can avoid it, I avoid people. I find though that 16 man sm ops are generally ok and it can stand having a couple of idiots on board.

 

Heh, Im the same way

 

I solo all of Oricon now, All of Makeb dailies and weekly (not tough but way faster solo)

Only really get a group once a week for Long Shots on Section X and CTS in Black Hole

 

And use Group finder for the Czerka/tactical flashpoint weekly

and the 3 hard mode weekly

 

Beyond that Im normally solo and quite content with it.

 

Just faster over all

 

I do group up with a buddy from time to time but he goes outta way to grab slicing boxes and check on chests and I dont mind saying "It drives me absolutely batty" when he does that (which is all the time).

Great guy but dang it, do that crap when your solo yourself.

 

I have a fairly good friends list of names and chat with many of them often

So not that Im anti social

Just this game plays better solo over all

Its not a group style game and really never has been beyond ops (which honestly I dont feel need to do every day like some people. Hell dont feel need to do every week either. They simply not interesting enough to repeat like that.)

 

A year ago I was in a guild that did the hard mode 50s (when that was top level ops) all the time and it got boring, very boring. And then they all turned on each other (like every hard core ops guild does it seems) and broke apart.

 

I just dont have the desire to go through that once again because thats how it always ends for these hard core ops guilds. Been seeing the same routine for over 20 years in MMOs with hard core ops and pvp guilds.

 

Honestly Id be perfectly ok if SW:TOR devs started to focus more on 1-2-4 man content specifically and stopped trying to design the 8 and 16 man stuff

 

And with ESO RVR out there now, may as well stop pushing the crappy warzone stuff. Cause warzones will never beat out RVR pvp

[Undraxis]

I solo every MMO i play. Tho I do group from time to time, but only out of necessity and not from an overwhelming need to social interaction.

[Jeweledleah]

@ Kaffear. I personally disagree. much prefer smaller pvp settings then zerg fest of an RvR. becasue.. you know... different people and different preferences and all?

 

not only that... some of the most fun I personally have in MMO's? is raiding. maker knows I tried to stay away, but... its just too irresistible. even when I try to be casual, I either find a raid team anyways, or move on to another game, where I don't have to stay a lone wolf at all times and can actualy get to do group content.

 

and no. not all hardcore raiding guilds fall apart. guilds that take themselves too seriously and don't enjoy each other's company fall apart. raiding progression and having fun while doing so - are things that happen a lot. its kinda how you find these guilds that have been together for decades in one iteration or another and often - have chapters throughout multiple games.

 

so just becasue you don't enjoy a particular type of content - doesn't mean everyone else doesn't either. while yes, it would be nice if bioware added more content for smaller groups and soloers, doesn't mean they should give up on things like operations and warzones. becasue people do enjoy them. a fair bit.

Edited April 24, 2014 by Jeweledleah

[Sarfux]

I am a solo player. I am "that guy". You know what I'm talking about. I hardcore roleplay in all chats. I am always at the disposal of somebody who needs me. I am always in role regardless of situtation, as soon as I go on my character, I put myself in their shoes and backstory I have created for them and I AM them. I have created a guild on my main that only I am in.

 

Why do you ask I have nobody in my guild? All I do is send out my companions, go around planet hopping to see if anybody needs help, credits or materials. Then when my companions get them for me I have A LOT in my inventory and cargo bay. I then go back to the starter planets, make crystals, enhancements, mods, lightsabers then hand them out in the form of an "Adventure Pack" I have made up that I give away. One each color crystal, a mod, an enhancement, some medpacks, some credits. That's all I do.

 

Seriously. It gives me a great feeling to just help people. Especially newcomers. Nobody wants to join a guild like that in an mmorpg. It is hardcore, I mean hardcore roleplay while doing this stuff 100 percent of the time. I don't go on Raids, Operations, Warzone runs, Flashpoint grinding, getting the newest gear etc or anything to that nature. The only thing that matters to me is helping the people of this tremendous game!

 

I agree. Soloing has a certain...charm to it.

[Kalfear]

@ Kaffear. I personally disagree. much prefer smaller pvp settings then zerg fest of an RvR. becasue.. you know... different people and different preferences and all?

 

not only that... some of the most fun I personally have in MMO's? is raiding. .

 

Thats great but when speaking in general terms

RVR > Warzones

And the player base has spoken load and clear on this issue

 

Why do you think EA is suddenly bringing in planet claiming by active pvp guilds? Thats RVR concept

They have finally figured out when it comes to PVP, the high end pvp'er want RVR.

 

As for Zerg fest, sometimes it is

Many times its not

To try and cast it as 'only a zergfest" shows a gross lack of understanding in the actual practice.

 

As for Raids, I know many who do like them, never said different. Some folks love raiding.

But I know probably 100 who dont to every one that does

Large scale raiding is not the be all end all end game for the bulk of the player base

 

At one time it was but the genre has changed drastically since then

 

Personally speaking for myself, Ive done the high end raiding, been there seen that, NEXT

 

I always find it funny how (not specifically you but again in general) people will complain to high bleep if they have to run a "kill 10 things and return" quest when leveling but they will gleefully run the same raid over and over and over and over and think its entertainment.

 

Everyone now a days whines to high bleep about grinding but raiding is the very definition of extreme grinding. But because they get a shinny babble to take their attention away from that fact. They suddenly ok with gringing, but only in that instance where they get rewarded for basically nothing.

 

Look it doesnt matter what my preference ir your preference is.

 

The general public now is looking towards more small group to solo content

They are looking to impact the gaming environment (which is exactly what RVR offers them) rather then run same instances over and over grinding gear.

 

Its why you saw such a exodus of PVPers to ESO.

There no shame in admiting that happened

ESO is not a better PVE game but it is a better PVP game and thats who will be attracted to it long term after the whole elder scrolls franchise wears off.

 

My personal Preference is DAoC RVR. Complete with their interface (but with out the special PVP powers that just create imbalances). I like that SW:TOR has finally figured out what the vast majority of beta posters were asking for. NO ONE EVER asked for a warzone back in beta or even before beta. Its always been Imp vrs Rep over the ownership of planets, that was requested. We will see how close SW:TOR can get to it.

 

As for Ops and Flashpoints.

One only needs to read all the posts from others.

Its always the same request

Bigger content for smaller / solo groups

 

Been playing these games allot of years (over 20) and its always baffled me how the Raiders and PVPers continue to think they are the majority. They have always been the outspoken miniority in MMOs. The genre just unfortunately got into a habit of listening to them over the majority.

 

And the genre has suffered for it.

 

I keep wondering when a developer will lose the ego and just pay attention with an open mind to the real requests by the real majorities.

 

Me, ill adapt to any style of play.

Im fortunate that way.

But doesnt changes the facts of whats being requested and by who.

Edited April 24, 2014 by Kalfear

[DarthTHC]

I am fine with people writting in not standard colours here on the forums (I do so myself pretty much since I joined the forums), but please consider to use a brighter colour, to dark colours are a little annoying to read on the background of the forum.

 

On the zen of soloing: sure, whatever floats your boat, but why do you have to open a thread for this?

 

Agree. Non-default colors are fine. It's just important to pick one that stands out properly on the backgrounds that the forum uses.

 

Yours does. Mine does. OP's... does not.

Edited April 24, 2014 by DarthTHC

[GratuaCuun]

I'm a semi-solo player... not by choice though. I work eight hours every night - during peak activity times - and I have crappy internet with a 10 gig limit that usually runs out by the 20th of every month

 

I help my guild - props to my slacker and blackwatch peeps who put up with me - through donations of at least 10 % of my profits from my biochem and cybertech sales when I get a big profit and when I'm leveling an alt and make lots of credits (which happens a lot on the earlier planets lol because of how many alts I have and how I don't have to buy as many things as I can just send what I need to... uh... myself) I drop chunks of that into the guild bank.

 

When a guildee is on a planet I try to help out - one time I was running on Belsavis with my Bounty Hunter (Thelemachus - tank) and one of my guildees was trying to grind a bounty hunter exclusive bonus mission on some high-level enemies but was too low level. I offered him/her a hand and - funnily enough - almost six or seven MORE bounty hunters from various play places showed up and I hung out with them helping them grind the too-high enemies and get the bonus mission done

 

It was fun ^^

 

That said, most of the time I'm a solo player - it's just all I can do when I get my three or four hours of play time before work or assorted RL duties... and even though a lot of people hate it, this is a good game to play casually - the community is a LOT more tolerant of in-and-out players than most out there (WoW and RIFT spring to mind... old wounds <<) and as much as I hate to admit it, when I get to play I'm usually so jazzed to just get a chance I forget to pay attention to my guild-chat window until people have already left ^^;

[Jeweledleah]

Kefeer. you are making a LOT of assumptions and leaps based on your personal preferences and out of context request.

 

request to add more of certain type of content is not identical to request to stop adding existing type of content.

 

and yes, there are over reaching objectives in large scale pvp. but at the core? when you are on the ground fighting? its still a zerging crowd and a mess of people. some like it. others don't. yet others like to mix it up.

 

the problem with smaller scale pvp in THRO is not that it smaller scale. its that people having been getting any new maps to fight on, and that its the only thing they had. it doesn't mean this particular style of pvp is bad. and the same applies to operations. its not that people don't like them anymore, is that they would like a new one or several to run.

 

and yet again. more solo content requested doesn't mean people don't want anymore group content. people request more solo content becasue lately we haven't been much of one. I mean the entire new "epic" storyline is entirely flashpoint based. people rarely want one or the other - they want options even if not all of those options work for them, as long as some of them do. except for you apparently >_> my way or highway, yes?

 

P.S unless I misunderstood? planetary conquest by guilds is pure pve.

Edited April 24, 2014 by Jeweledleah

[Clarian]

Yeah, I agree. In a story-based game, all other players do for me is diminish immersion, or pressure me against playing at my own pace, or steal kills, or otherwise act like jerks, etc., etc....

 

Having said that, I don't blame Bioware for making an MMO. I don't think it's so much that they wanted to make an MMO, per se, but that they wanted to get an MMO revenue stream, and the way to do that is...to make an MMO.

 

But, it's always heartening to hear that a lot of other people prefer solo. And: they're paying a subscription for a game that they play solo. Maybe someday there will be a subscription-based game, where you can evolve your characters over a span of years, with continual content updates...and is single player. (Even a game like that could still feature PvP, in separate instances.)

 

Though even if this game could magically be changed to single-player, I wouldn't at all mind keeping the auction house, especially as regards cartel market stuff.