And if "easy mode vs hard mode" if just "guff", then please tell me why on earth people would choose to play an online game in solo mode, if not for reduced difficulty? Is it because people just find empty squares on their scanner visually displeasing?... Or don't like seeing other players entering / exiting stations?
solo and group are pretty much always bundled together in the derision they receive. i played solo until i was aware of mobius. the reasons i play mobius are pretty much the same reasons i played solo. those that play solo are a really mixed bag, some are open players on a farm grind, some have yet to hear about mobius or other groups, and some play solo as it is the nearest they can get to offline. regardless of your opinion of solo players.. whatever reason they have for playing solo.. they are valid reasons to them.
so why did i play solo, and now play group..
1) i suffer from a serious social anxiety disorder, i'm not antisocial i just can't do face to face 'immediate' social all that well.
2) i have a neurological condition that causes tremors and spasms in my hands, neck and legs. also means i have reduced reflexes which makes pvp very costly, and npc's often a challenge. CQC will let me take part in a pvp environment that is manageable, so will do that when it arrives.
3) i play for enjoyment, and as a way to relax and experience space. i dont need other players for that.
4) rare as they are, i do enjoy the surprise i get when seeing hollow squares appear on my scanner in mobius, it reminds me that others enjoy the game exactly the same way i do.
5) online does not mean interaction and pvp, have a look on steam.. there are so many online titles that are single player now.
6) this game has a background simulation that i enjoy immersing myself in, it does not require pvp interaction, in fact if pvp did not exist, there would be no negligible change in that background simulation (actually the sim would continue if there were no players)
7) im really not interested in another players interpretation of what this game should be, i am more than happy with FD's design and vision.
just because you cant think of anything other than a derisive reason for a persons preference to solo over open, doesn't mean that other reasons don't exist.
you have argued that you don't mind how people play, that's fine, yet clearly you feel that the way you play is somehow superior to others. while not overly derisive, a small veil of contempt for solo/group players can be read in your comments. the opinion or sentiment that you are somehow deserving of more, or are of a greater value to the game is confusing. individually, none of us make a real difference to the game.. there are no shining hero's to save the day, or a public enemies that dictate events. we are all just tiny parts of an extensive simulation, i can happily accept that, and play the game i want. i'm not ego driven and i have nothing to prove, so being able to play the game the way i choose, is in itself the biggest reward this game has to offer.
basically the game owes us nothing for the choices we make, other than what we take away from making those choices. our time is of no greater or lesser value to the game than anyone else's. if there are differences in the rewards we receive for making our choices, and we aren't happy.. we can always make different choices, and if someone is earning more than us and we want to earn more, we can learn from them, they are likely just more persistent, more resilient or smarter at playing the game than we are.
