General Discussion

        I played EQ1 back in 2000 when it was pretty much forced grouping.....There were some classes that could solo OK but if you wanted to get anywhere you grouped........The problem with forced grouping is its eitehr a good experience or a bad experience..>>There isnt much middle ground.....Also people just have to accept today that the tiems have changed.....Msot players just dont have several hours available to play like they used to......It would really depend on the game and how it handles group issues (ie ease of getting groups, how loot is handled, roles for everyone to play in a group, etc).....Basically the end of my Everquest career came in 2005 when it literally took more than an hour just to find a group (if you found one at all) and then people were constantly leaving.......Also with forced grouping you need a very large community so that there are actually players to group with and you need strong incentive for players to group.

Originally posted by Theocritus

        I played EQ1 back in 2000 when it was pretty much forced grouping.....There were some classes that could solo OK but if you wanted to get anywhere you grouped........The problem with forced grouping is its eitehr a good experience or a bad experience..>>There isnt much middle ground.....Also people just have to accept today that the tiems have changed.....Msot players just dont have several hours available to play like they used to......It would really depend on the game and how it handles group issues (ie ease of getting groups, how loot is handled, roles for everyone to play in a group, etc).....Basically the end of my Everquest career came in 2005 when it literally took more than an hour just to find a group (if you found one at all) and then people were constantly leaving.......Also with forced grouping you need a very large community so that there are actually players to group with and you need strong incentive for players to group.

... but the adverage person plays 5+ hours of soloing, but there's not enough time for groups...  Hmm.

Nope!!  I want play alone when I want and group up when I can.  I have a life and a family, so my time is precious.  I don't want to screw over fellow group mates when my daughter starts to cry.   I enjoyed WOW over EQ, UO and every previous MMO, because I could have plenty of fun solo and group up whenever I wanted, not because I HAD TO, but because I wanted to.  Of course I didn't have to group up ever, but then I couldn't see the dungeons, get all the cool gear and experience everything the game had to offer.  Group only games are for people who have lots and lots of time.  I just don't any more.  We all grow up=) 

In EQ and DAOC it was just one mindless spawn camping session after another.  I won't do that ever again and neither will most people. 

Forced grouping?  I would bitch, moan, complains, but heck yes.

I would NEVER play a game forcing any other gameplay on me however.  Forced raiding?  I am out.  Forced PvP?  I am out.  Forced tradeskills?  I am out.  Forced = better rewards; for an achiever as me at any rate.

I rather see a fine design which doesn't abuse other players.  But...well...as a grouper I can live with abusing everyone else!  (yet I would pinpoint that we lose other players which could be tamed into grouping eventually if they where not crushed out)  The main flaw of this situation, is that it's open the door for some dev-ious to forced other ideas/concept on their players and thinking it is okay...while it isn't.

I already play City of Heroes - and only because I love the genre.

No.

Sometimes I just want to be left alone or am too busy to group.

No, I cant see myself being forced to do anything I didnt want to do. I like to have a choice

Originally posted by Theocritus

        I played EQ1 back in 2000 when it was pretty much forced grouping.....There were some classes that could solo OK but if you wanted to get anywhere you grouped........The problem with forced grouping is its eitehr a good experience or a bad experience..>>There isnt much middle ground.....Also people just have to accept today that the tiems have changed.....Msot players just dont have several hours available to play like they used to......It would really depend on the game and how it handles group issues (ie ease of getting groups, how loot is handled, roles for everyone to play in a group, etc).....Basically the end of my Everquest career came in 2005 when it literally took more than an hour just to find a group (if you found one at all) and then people were constantly leaving.......Also with forced grouping you need a very large community so that there are actually players to group with and you need strong incentive for players to group.

EXACTLY.

You know what happened in EQ because of forced grouping? Everyone started to multibox. Once WoW came out EQ took a huge blow. There is still forced grouping, but people multibox and pay a lot of money. It's right out patethic.

No I would not play a game where I was forced to group.  I like have the choice of grouping or soloing.

I am not against solo but I prefer to group. This argument can go both ways. The games after and including WoW "force" you to solo. That is right, they force you to solo to obtain the fastest xp. You are penalized for grouping in today's games and that that should not be so.

Solo is fine but encourage grouping by letting the group get the same xp as you would while solo. This is what needs to change. No more forced solo. I have had people turn down groups in games like WoW because they state "no way, kills the xp" or "you are crazy for grouping all the way, ruining your xp".

Also killing monsters rather than questing should give you a lot of xp. The actual turning in of the quest should provide little extra reward. I don't like "forced" questing. People that like quest still can do quest but those who prefer to make there own adventure should be forced down the fastest xp path.

You say you have a choice. Not really the rest of the playerbase gravitates towards the path of least resistance and you would be left alone. Again questing and solo is okay