In the deep south in the 50's I don't know of one bus company that didn't allow coloured people aboard. Of course they had to sit in the back, but hey, they should have just stopped complaining and accepted the status quo.

Originally posted by Meleagar

In a video game, you "deserve" whatever is coded in a way that you can attain it.

The point isn't that casuals/soloers want equal rewards in games that are already designed to exclusively reward hardcore players  and raiders; we'd just like a game or two where  casuals and soloers had eventual access to attaining the top content and rewards in the game. That way we can go play that game and know that eventually we, too, can enjoy the top content. Hardcore players and raiders can play other games, already in abundance, that are designed around their playstyle.

I think that's the way MMO's will eventually go, just like specialty cable channels now have eroded the networks market shares, specialty MMO's will do the same to large generic ones like WoW in the years ahead. The casual and solo player market is the largest subset of MMO players, so some dev will eventually look beyond their own personal bias towards raiding, and make a sound business decision to do just that.
 

The problem with this thread, and many more like it is it begins with the fallacy that solo = casual, then compounds the invalid assumption further by equating both with a need for instant gratification.

There are players who prefer to solo, and those who prefer to group. Within those two differing playstyles are people who are casual, and those who are hardcore.

Currently in MMO's, if you are a harcore or casual grouper, you are rewarded with top level gear, and if you are a hardcore or casual solo player you are not.

A more equitable sytem would reap greater rewards upon the hardcore (group and solo) players, and less so upon the casual (group and solo) players.

Acheivement should equal success, otherwise a rewards based system is a failure by design.

Originally posted by onlinenow225

Solo play I feel is mandatory as equally is grouping in a MMO.

I have said this before, but the only key difference in them should be the time it takes to get what you want.  A group should be faster because its a group of people.  Example in real life is it takes allot less time to build a house with 10 people than building a house by your self.

Now along with that example it does not mean it is impossible to build said house by your self.  It just means it will take more time.

Now with that that leads me into that soloers should be able to get the best w/ever just as group/raiders can.  Just at a slower pace.

Nothing should be undoable by soloers to an extent.  The exclusion being raids and big boss'.  But that does not mean a soloer should be restricted to lower end gear/items/gameplay.  Just they can not get it as fast as those raiders. 

 

That seems to be a fair compromise, I know I'd still be playing WoW if I had a mathematical chance of acquiring top level equipment via solo play that's higher than zero.
 

I quit WoW a few months ago after realizing that solo players would always be held back by a glass ceiling. I miss it, but until I get verification via 3rd party websites of equal access to equipment/content, I will leave the genre to those who enjoy being a willing participant in Uncle Toms cabin.

At the moment, only SWTOR holds out the slightest hope of some kind of equality, but I won't be there at launch. Once bitten, twice shy.....until I verify.

A large percentage of people prefer to solo in MMO's now, SWTOR is the first to take that fully into account. The Companion feature will allow solo oriented players to access content they would otherwise be shut out from.

As studies like the alone together one have alluded to many times over, the solo playstyle is a valid one in modern MMO's, SWTOR is just acknowledging this fact, and including content for that playstyle.

That may not fit certain people's definition of an MMO, but in actuality it represents more of a true MMO than any previous one, since the solo playstyle is finally being given an equal place alongside the group and pvp ones.