Your poll is severly limited. There are many shades of grey, but most of the discussions here and on official forums AT LEAST classify systems into 3 -
solo-friendly
encouraged/incentivized grouping, and
forced grouping
Simple solution:
Make your own poll.
"" Voice acting isn't an RPG element....it's just a production value." - grumpymel2
Originally posted by MMO_Doubter Originally posted by astoria Your poll is severly limited. There are many shades of grey, but most of the discussions here and on official forums AT LEAST classify systems into 3 - solo-friendly encouraged/incentivized grouping, and forced grouping
Simple solution: Make your own poll.
You wouldn't have had to explain your poll multiple times if you had thought it out. See below. But perhaps thoughtful commentary was not your aim.
Originally posted by Tardcore I didn't vote. I refuse to participate in polls that force me to pick a yes or no answer.
[quote]Originally posted by GTwander I refuse to vote on yes/no polls that lack a third option, such as "i love candy" or "if you shake it more than twice you're playing with it". [/b][/quote]
Originally posted by GTwander No game 'forces' you to group. It's just either more efficient to do so, or not.
Originally posted by sapphen Forced, no. Even if they heavy encouraged it by having epic mobs everywhere you go, you should still at least be able to sneak around by yourself. The only way I could think of this to work is if you and your group had to control a vehicle, ship, mech or something.
Originally posted by arieste this is a poorly setup poll with a leading (or rather misleading) question.
the flipside being, would you play a game that forces you to solo for xp? meaning that you can still group, but you get no xp for it.
Originally posted by Psychow I wouldn't play if I was "Forced" to group, but I would play if it was "Better" to group.
Originally posted by Axehilt I voted no, because a yes vote would've probably been used to ham-fistedly argue for the bad implementations of forced grouping which have existed in the past. However I enjoy games like MW2, where one cannot advance in multiplayer without a team. This is forced grouping, but grouping is effortless (you just queue up) and avoids most of the negatives commonly associated with other "forced grouping" games. If a MMORPG was similarly designed, I would be fine with that.
Originally posted by ChrisMattern Originally posted by MMO_Doubter Okay, this is a simple one. Assume other aspects of the game are acceptable to you. Grouping does not neccessarily mean a full group. It could mean just you and one buddy.
Meaningless poll. No MMORPG has ever required grouping to gain XP, and none ever will. Some games have made gaining XP in groups considerably faster than doing it solo; I have played such games in the past and would be happy to do so again.
"Never met a pack of humans that were any different. Look at the idiots that get elected every couple of years. You really consider those guys more mature than us? The only difference between us and them is, when they gank some noobs and take their stuff, the noobs actually die." - Madimorga
Does FFXI not force you to group? I though certain level quests could not be completed solo?
Besides which, it's pure semantics as to whether a game forces you to group or merely encourages you to do so. The bottom line is whether it is viable to solo, not whether it is technically possible. I won't play a game in which it is not viable to solo throughout the level range, although I do not expect to see all the content or achieve all the rewards that would be available to me if I grouped and/or raided.
Slightly digressing, but my pet hate is those games that lead you so far into a multiple stage quest and then suddenly change the rules and after allowing you to solo all the previous stages introduce a stage that cannot remotely be soloed.
Slightly digressing, but my pet hate is those games that lead you so far into a multiple stage quest and then suddenly change the rules and after allowing you to solo all the previous stages introduce a stage that cannot remotely be soloed.
I agree with you on that point. Quest chains stink for grouping, anyway, but a single player chain should never turn into a group quest.
"" Voice acting isn't an RPG element....it's just a production value." - grumpymel2
Although I'm a big supporter of games that employ mechanics to encourage and reward grouping, I would never play a game that required only grouping to gain exp as even I like to solo sometimes.
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
Ok I had to vote no only due to the wording of the question, I would not want to play a game that "forced" me to group for exp but I have no problem with groupcentric games being developed so long as there is a market for it I'm just not the kind of player they are looking for.
but yeah, to call this game Fantastic is like calling Twilight the Godfather of vampire movies....
I played rf online for a bit where after a point grouping to get xp was almost a necessity and without a group you were pretty screwed, however it was just possible to lvl solo
Also played SWG when they introduced the heroics which were forced grouping and again no group = screwed player(of course being swg bugs also lead to the same outcome)
so any genuine forced grouping game = a big no from me too
You would be allowed to do solo activities - you just wouldn't get any xp for it.
Then I wouldn't bother. Any game with that kind of setup wouldn't be worth my time.
Give me the option of grouping, but let me play the way I want. If I only have a couple of hours to play and none of my friends or guildmates are online, I'd rather be able to advance my character on my own rather than have to stand around waiting for a group, or trying to find other random people to help me.
I never solo, so I would be fine with a game that did not let you earn XP solo.
I would not even know the difference, since I never try to solo in MMORPGs. Soloing in an MMORPG is to boring to be called a "game" IMO, but some people like to play solitaire, so go figure.
You can do one of two things in an MMORPG.
You can encourage solo play, which makes grouping an effort in futility, or you can encourage group play, which makes solo an effort in futility.
WoW encourages solo play pre-raid, making grouping an effort in futility.
Then the game switches to raiding, encourages grouping, and makes solo and effort in futility.
Saying you can do "both" at the same time is retarded, as WoW easily exemplifies.
Not a chance. Any game that forced me to play any particular style at all wouldn't get my $15 a month.
Then why are you on these forums, if you don't play MMORPGs?
they all force you to play a particular style.
If the game is FFA , you are forced to play FFA. If the game is RvR, you are forced to play RvR. If the game doesn't allow FFA, you are forced to play non-FFA.
If the game encourages grouping, you are forced to play a game that encourages grouping.
If the game encourages solo play, you are forced to play a game that encourages solo play.
Originally posted by Shadewalker Does FFXI not force you to group? I though certain level quests could not be completed solo?
Yes. By that criteria, WoW has forced grouping because there are raids you can't complete solo. The question was requiring grouping to gain XP, which FFXI has never done; it is merely much faster if you group. Heck, quests don't even get you XP in FFXI.
I really doh't like the label of 'forced grouping'. It sounds like a date rape gangbang tbh.
Assuming a game requires grouping to gain xp it would be known of ahead of time. Therefore people purchasing the game would be looking forward to this game mechanic, not criticizing it.
Our spirit was here long before you
Long before us
And long will it be after your pride brings you to your end
I really doh't like the label of 'forced grouping'. It sounds like a date rape gangbang tbh.
Assuming a game requires grouping to gain xp it would be known of ahead of time. Therefore people purchasing the game would be looking forward to this game mechanic, not criticizing it.
Let me introduce you to the MMO market place. You seem to be somewhat unfamiliar with the customer base if you think that the majority of customers actually research their games before they play it. There are still a ton of people who never play the open beta and fork out a chunk of change only to be "surprised" by the information that has been floating around on the official and unofficial forums for weeks, months even.
While there are a number of people who criticize games they have not purchased, because we played the beta and rejected it then perhaps, the official forums are frequently filled with stuff like... this entire game is instanced!? Yes, yes it is. That is what Cryptic does and nothing else. You'd think people purchasing a Cryptic game would know that, but many did not.
The mass exodus after month 1 (I'll never call it "free" since that first month is built into the price of the box), for pretty much every game suggests that a lot of people aren't familiar with or perhaps after playing find certain features unsatisfying. There will, of course, be a some people who burn through the content so fast they reach the void at the end, but there are still a number who are surprised by things that were published long before the game was released.
parrotpholk-Because we all know the miracle patch fairy shows up the night before release and sprinkles magic dust on the server to make it allllll better.
Assuming a game requires grouping to gain xp it would be known of ahead of time. Therefore people purchasing the game would be looking forward to this game mechanic, not criticizing it.
Exactly, and the people who didn't like it - would choose another game.
Not only do MMOs not need to appeal to every player, they shouldn't try.
Let's say 25% of MMO players would play a 'forced' grouping game. Okay then 1/4 of the MMOs should be those types of games. 1/2 of them could be solo-oriented games (including having solo end game content). The remaining 1/4 could be balanced between the two extremes. If the game is designed well - the mix could be achieved with one game - using different rule sets on different servers.
There should be games that appeal to each type of player - soloers, groupers, and those who like to do both. The market is clearly big enough to handle these niches.
"" Voice acting isn't an RPG element....it's just a production value." - grumpymel2
Do I need to make a list of everygame that requires a player to group to do damn near anything of value in game?
Ill toss out the two most popular ones to make you happy. EQ & FFXI.
You couldn't gain xp without a group in those games?
I only played a trial in FFXI, but I was leveling without being grouped at times.
You could gain XP but it was such a pain in the ass you might as well not been able to do it solo.
Basically the same thing.
You have to remember unless were talking about WoW here servers don't have hundreds of people playing all hours of the night. When someone logs in at 3am wanting to level for an hour or so what are they going to do?
Log off because noone is on? a forced grouping game like that simply doesn't work.
As it is a world there has to be tons of other stuff that could be done alone, like hunting for food, crafting, gambling...lots of casual fun games like they did in Free Realms with the gathering..And even tradable card games that has been a norm in SOE games as of lately..
advantages to grouping I am in favor of and I understand problems such as being a healer class in a solo centric world. Having said that, if the majority of people wanted to play in groups they would play in groups. Given that they are not strongly suggests that forcing them to do so would be forcing them to do something they clearly do not want to do becuase if they did they would be doing it anyway.
To me 'forced groups" is like someone saying "I enjoy groups therefore every gamer should be required to do what I do"
Please do not respond to me, even if I ask you a question, its rhetorical.
Assuming a game requires grouping to gain xp it would be known of ahead of time. Therefore people purchasing the game would be looking forward to this game mechanic, not criticizing it.
Exactly, and the people who didn't like it - would choose another game.
Not only do MMOs not need to appeal to every player, they shouldn't try.
Let's say 25% of MMO players would play a 'forced' grouping game. Okay then 1/4 of the MMOs should be those types of games. 1/2 of them could be solo-oriented games (including having solo end game content). The remaining 1/4 could be balanced between the two extremes. If the game is designed well - the mix could be achieved with one game - using different rule sets on different servers.
There should be games that appeal to each type of player - soloers, groupers, and those who like to do both. The market is clearly big enough to handle these niches.
I am not sure I understand this 'forced group' part. How does your gaming experience improve by other people you dont know being forced into groups? If you like groups why not just play in groups.
I understand the appeal of groups I dont understand the appeal to 'forced' groups. If you want to group, group. It should not change your gaming experience for others to not group or group.
I used the word group many times
Please do not respond to me, even if I ask you a question, its rhetorical.
Then why are you on these forums, if you don't play MMORPGs?
they all force you to play a particular style.
If the game is FFA , you are forced to play FFA. If the game is RvR, you are forced to play RvR. If the game doesn't allow FFA, you are forced to play non-FFA.
If the game encourages grouping, you are forced to play a game that encourages grouping.
If the game encourages solo play, you are forced to play a game that encourages solo play.
Hardly, I've never seen a game where I couldn't solo or group or PvP or not PvP or anything else. I have a choice in how I want to play the game. If I don't, I don't play that game. It's simple. However, this thread is about "FORCED GROUPING", which means that it wouldn't give me a choice to do anything but group. I would not play that game.
Comments
Simple solution:
Make your own poll.
"" Voice acting isn't an RPG element....it's just a production value." - grumpymel2
Make your own poll.
You wouldn't have had to explain your poll multiple times if you had thought it out. See below. But perhaps thoughtful commentary was not your aim.
[quote]Originally posted by GTwander
I refuse to vote on yes/no polls that lack a third option, such as "i love candy" or "if you shake it more than twice you're playing with it".
[/b][/quote]
Meaningless poll. No MMORPG has ever required grouping to gain XP, and none ever will. Some games have made gaining XP in groups considerably faster than doing it solo; I have played such games in the past and would be happy to do so again.
"Never met a pack of humans that were any different. Look at the idiots that get elected every couple of years. You really consider those guys more mature than us? The only difference between us and them is, when they gank some noobs and take their stuff, the noobs actually die." - Madimorga
Does FFXI not force you to group? I though certain level quests could not be completed solo?
Besides which, it's pure semantics as to whether a game forces you to group or merely encourages you to do so. The bottom line is whether it is viable to solo, not whether it is technically possible. I won't play a game in which it is not viable to solo throughout the level range, although I do not expect to see all the content or achieve all the rewards that would be available to me if I grouped and/or raided.
Slightly digressing, but my pet hate is those games that lead you so far into a multiple stage quest and then suddenly change the rules and after allowing you to solo all the previous stages introduce a stage that cannot remotely be soloed.
I agree with you on that point. Quest chains stink for grouping, anyway, but a single player chain should never turn into a group quest.
"" Voice acting isn't an RPG element....it's just a production value." - grumpymel2
Although I'm a big supporter of games that employ mechanics to encourage and reward grouping, I would never play a game that required only grouping to gain exp as even I like to solo sometimes.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
Do I need to make a list of everygame that requires a player to group to do damn near anything of value in game?
Ill toss out the two most popular ones to make you happy. EQ & FFXI.
Both of those games heavily influence other games yet developers consider the move away from forced grouping an evolution.
So yeah forced grouping is dead.
Playing: Rift, LotRO
Waiting on: GW2, BP
Not a chance. Any game that forced me to play any particular style at all wouldn't get my $15 a month.
Played: UO, EQ, WoW, DDO, SWG, AO, CoH, EvE, TR, AoC, GW, GA, Aion, Allods, lots more
Relatively Recently (Re)Played: HL2 (all), Halo (PC, all), Batman:AA; AC, ME, BS, DA, FO3, DS, Doom (all), LFD1&2, KOTOR, Portal 1&2, Blink, Elder Scrolls (all), lots more
Now Playing: None
Hope: None
Ok I had to vote no only due to the wording of the question, I would not want to play a game that "forced" me to group for exp but I have no problem with groupcentric games being developed so long as there is a market for it I'm just not the kind of player they are looking for.
but yeah, to call this game Fantastic is like calling Twilight the Godfather of vampire movies....
I played rf online for a bit where after a point grouping to get xp was almost a necessity and without a group you were pretty screwed, however it was just possible to lvl solo
Also played SWG when they introduced the heroics which were forced grouping and again no group = screwed player(of course being swg bugs also lead to the same outcome)
so any genuine forced grouping game = a big no from me too
You couldn't gain xp without a group in those games?
I only played a trial in FFXI, but I was leveling without being grouped at times.
"" Voice acting isn't an RPG element....it's just a production value." - grumpymel2
You sure could.
Then I wouldn't bother. Any game with that kind of setup wouldn't be worth my time.
Give me the option of grouping, but let me play the way I want. If I only have a couple of hours to play and none of my friends or guildmates are online, I'd rather be able to advance my character on my own rather than have to stand around waiting for a group, or trying to find other random people to help me.
I never solo, so I would be fine with a game that did not let you earn XP solo.
I would not even know the difference, since I never try to solo in MMORPGs. Soloing in an MMORPG is to boring to be called a "game" IMO, but some people like to play solitaire, so go figure.
You can do one of two things in an MMORPG.
You can encourage solo play, which makes grouping an effort in futility, or you can encourage group play, which makes solo an effort in futility.
WoW encourages solo play pre-raid, making grouping an effort in futility.
Then the game switches to raiding, encourages grouping, and makes solo and effort in futility.
Saying you can do "both" at the same time is retarded, as WoW easily exemplifies.
Then why are you on these forums, if you don't play MMORPGs?
they all force you to play a particular style.
If the game is FFA , you are forced to play FFA. If the game is RvR, you are forced to play RvR. If the game doesn't allow FFA, you are forced to play non-FFA.
If the game encourages grouping, you are forced to play a game that encourages grouping.
If the game encourages solo play, you are forced to play a game that encourages solo play.
Yes. By that criteria, WoW has forced grouping because there are raids you can't complete solo. The question was requiring grouping to gain XP, which FFXI has never done; it is merely much faster if you group. Heck, quests don't even get you XP in FFXI.
Some people have the most fun, if they can solo just as fast as grouping, all the way to the level cap.
Some people have the most fun, if they need to group to the level cap, and fi they can solo just as fast to the level cap, they find the game not fun.
Can you really argue someone into enjoying the same kind of game you enjoy?
Is it really important why someone enjoys a different kind of game than you enjoy?
I really doh't like the label of 'forced grouping'. It sounds like a date rape gangbang tbh.
Assuming a game requires grouping to gain xp it would be known of ahead of time. Therefore people purchasing the game would be looking forward to this game mechanic, not criticizing it.
Our spirit was here long before you
Long before us
And long will it be after your pride brings you to your end
Let me introduce you to the MMO market place. You seem to be somewhat unfamiliar with the customer base if you think that the majority of customers actually research their games before they play it. There are still a ton of people who never play the open beta and fork out a chunk of change only to be "surprised" by the information that has been floating around on the official and unofficial forums for weeks, months even.
While there are a number of people who criticize games they have not purchased, because we played the beta and rejected it then perhaps, the official forums are frequently filled with stuff like... this entire game is instanced!? Yes, yes it is. That is what Cryptic does and nothing else. You'd think people purchasing a Cryptic game would know that, but many did not.
The mass exodus after month 1 (I'll never call it "free" since that first month is built into the price of the box), for pretty much every game suggests that a lot of people aren't familiar with or perhaps after playing find certain features unsatisfying. There will, of course, be a some people who burn through the content so fast they reach the void at the end, but there are still a number who are surprised by things that were published long before the game was released.
parrotpholk-Because we all know the miracle patch fairy shows up the night before release and sprinkles magic dust on the server to make it allllll better.
Exactly, and the people who didn't like it - would choose another game.
Not only do MMOs not need to appeal to every player, they shouldn't try.
Let's say 25% of MMO players would play a 'forced' grouping game. Okay then 1/4 of the MMOs should be those types of games. 1/2 of them could be solo-oriented games (including having solo end game content). The remaining 1/4 could be balanced between the two extremes. If the game is designed well - the mix could be achieved with one game - using different rule sets on different servers.
There should be games that appeal to each type of player - soloers, groupers, and those who like to do both. The market is clearly big enough to handle these niches.
"" Voice acting isn't an RPG element....it's just a production value." - grumpymel2
You could gain XP but it was such a pain in the ass you might as well not been able to do it solo.
Basically the same thing.
You have to remember unless were talking about WoW here servers don't have hundreds of people playing all hours of the night. When someone logs in at 3am wanting to level for an hour or so what are they going to do?
Log off because noone is on? a forced grouping game like that simply doesn't work.
Playing: Rift, LotRO
Waiting on: GW2, BP
Apparently it is to you, as it's all you do on the MMORPG.com forums day in and day out.
I Voted YES..
But..
As it is a world there has to be tons of other stuff that could be done alone, like hunting for food, crafting, gambling...lots of casual fun games like they did in Free Realms with the gathering..And even tradable card games that has been a norm in SOE games as of lately..
advantages to grouping I am in favor of and I understand problems such as being a healer class in a solo centric world. Having said that, if the majority of people wanted to play in groups they would play in groups. Given that they are not strongly suggests that forcing them to do so would be forcing them to do something they clearly do not want to do becuase if they did they would be doing it anyway.
To me 'forced groups" is like someone saying "I enjoy groups therefore every gamer should be required to do what I do"
Please do not respond to me, even if I ask you a question, its rhetorical.
Please do not respond to me
I am not sure I understand this 'forced group' part. How does your gaming experience improve by other people you dont know being forced into groups? If you like groups why not just play in groups.
I understand the appeal of groups I dont understand the appeal to 'forced' groups. If you want to group, group. It should not change your gaming experience for others to not group or group.
I used the word group many times
Please do not respond to me, even if I ask you a question, its rhetorical.
Please do not respond to me
Hardly, I've never seen a game where I couldn't solo or group or PvP or not PvP or anything else. I have a choice in how I want to play the game. If I don't, I don't play that game. It's simple. However, this thread is about "FORCED GROUPING", which means that it wouldn't give me a choice to do anything but group. I would not play that game.
Played: UO, EQ, WoW, DDO, SWG, AO, CoH, EvE, TR, AoC, GW, GA, Aion, Allods, lots more
Relatively Recently (Re)Played: HL2 (all), Halo (PC, all), Batman:AA; AC, ME, BS, DA, FO3, DS, Doom (all), LFD1&2, KOTOR, Portal 1&2, Blink, Elder Scrolls (all), lots more
Now Playing: None
Hope: None