Modes The Solo vs Open vs Groups Thread - Part the Second [Now With Added Platforms].

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I've linked this about 72671791624 times in this thread now. Here it is again:

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/art...tra-punctuation/9967-Hating-Multiplayer-Creep

So....

1. People don't like social interaction with others.

2. People do like social interaction with others, but not online where they can't speak face to face.

3. People love social interaction, online or offline, but don't want it to cut into their gaming time as they prefer to play alone.

4. People enjoy playing for immersion and roleplay, and running into people who pointlessly drag you out of your game for "no reason":


utterly ruin that immersion.

5. People don't want to be responsible for someone elses gaming enjoyment by playing multiplayer.

6. People don't want their own enjoyment of a game to be in any way dependent upon other people playing.

I understand all of these, but they mostly seem to come down to risk.
You don't want to risk certain kinds of encounter/interaction so you choose a different mode to avoid them.
 
The problem with Power Play

Ive been playing elite for a few months now and have thus far gotten quite a lot of enjoyment from it. However with the advent of Power play I am noticing an increasing trend that is quite frankly taking the excitement out of the game for me. When i first started playing elite and got into a conflict zone i had no idea that there would be other players there, and upon realizing that some of them were on the other side of this conflict I felt an amazing rush as we engaged each other in honorable combat. Then a few days later I was hauling some junk I had found to a station to sell, when out of the blue I was interdicted by another player wanting my cargo, again I felt the rush as we pitted our strengths together in a challenge that the npc's are simply incapable of.

My point being that since the advent of power play I have gone nearly 2 weeks without seeing a single other player, this of course is because the vast majority are now hiding in solo or private play groups. Working and grinding to achieve the vast rewards that power play offers, while simultaneously avoiding 100% of the risk that should be involved. This CANNOT be allowed to continue, without players directly in conflict in an open system the power play system will become as drab and pointless as simply hauling cargo all day (and doing literally nothing else). This lack of open interaction while still being able to affect the simulation and the balance of power will surely lead to a slow death for this game as the players slowly loose interest due to a lack of excitement.

My proposal to fix this is quite simple, continue to allow players to play in solo and in private groups.....these are necessary parts of the game that the community needs. However all activities related to the participation in power play should be restricted to OPEN play. Feel free to comment on this below, do keep in mind that this is meant to be a civil and intelligent discussion. Comments of a nonconstructive nature of those that simply spew flaming vulgarities will not be tollerated and will be removed.

Fly safe - Cmdr Tomoya Inukai
 
I understand all of these, but they mostly seem to come down to risk.
You don't want to risk certain kinds of encounter/interaction so you choose a different mode to avoid them.

In what context are you using the word "risk" here?

If you're talking about ingame risk in terms of difficulty, which is what I (and I think others) are assuming you mean then no it's not the only reason (or even the main reason) people go solo.

If you say that, for example, shy people go solo to avoid the "risk" of running into other players then yes that's fair enough, but let's keep the context please. They aren't worried about being blown up so much as they are worried about having to interact with some random stranger. The game should not require that of anyone should it?

7. People don't want to feel that they are letting anyone down if they cannot commit to a play schedule with others.

That's a good one.

I can't believe I forgot one:

8. Basic shyness.
 
In what context are you using the word "risk" here?

If you're talking about ingame risk in terms of difficulty, which is what I (and I think others) are assuming you mean then no it's not the only reason (or even the main reason) people go solo.

If you say that, for example, shy people go solo to avoid the "risk" of running into other players then yes that's fair enough, but let's keep the context please. They aren't worried about being blown up so much as they are worried about having to interact with some random stranger. The game should not require that of anyone should it?



That's a good one.

I can't believe I forgot one:

8. Basic shyness.

The reason that I turned the question around is because then it focuses exactly what is meant by risk.
Is there anything extra that Open offers, apart from added risk?
 
I understand all of these, but they mostly seem to come down to risk.
You don't want to risk certain kinds of encounter/interaction so you choose a different mode to avoid them.

I don't agree with you, but it doesn't really matter. Even though you see someones choice as avoiding risk, that doesn't make that choice any less valid. Adding or removing incentives to play in a specific mode isn't going to change "most" peoples reason for playing in the mode they are in at the time.
 
Yes, I agree. Everything that affects the galaxy or open play should only be able to be influenced in open play itself. Solo and private players can enjoy the passive bonuses from the galaxy while having no influence on the happening.

Additionally, the same with community goals.
 
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My proposal to fix this is quite simple, continue to allow players to play in solo and in private groups.....these are necessary parts of the game that the community needs. However all activities related to the participation in power play should be restricted to OPEN play. Feel free to comment on this below, do keep in mind that this is meant to be a civil and intelligent discussion. Comments of a nonconstructive nature of those that simply spew flaming vulgarities will not be tollerated and will be removed.

I disagree, people who want to play in solo or groups should not have gameplay elements removed. My problem is that there's NO reward for engaging players who're members of other factions.
 
There needs to be more incentive for open play. I've played the game non-stop almost for the last 5 days, and not had a single reason to play open. I just heard it was a griefing nightmare, if I wanted that, I'd go back to EVE.
 
The reason that I turned the question around is because then it focuses exactly what is meant by risk.
Is there anything extra that Open offers, apart from added risk?

attery is something i do not enjoy..... is it linked to risk? Sure it is but it is not the only reason. Sometimes i am in a crap mood. I just have no intention of being sociable (i include my meatspace in that)

maybe it is only child syndrome? I dunno I am not a shrink. Sometimes i just want to stick an audiobook on and chill doing my own thing, hell during these times i do not even play in mobius, and solo is demonstrably harder than mobius so where does that fall in the risk equation.

Also sometimes i want to monkey about practicing my FA off skills whilst docking in my python, or practicing my smuggling by boosing and braking at the last min in a station. I do not mind if i accidentally destroy an NPC. i do not want to do it to one of you guys however.

and finally there is the age old internet thing. my internet is not always very good. DB sold me the promise of using next to no bandwidth.
 
Jason S, I personally cannot remove them, however forum moderators and admins can and will as such things do violate the terms of use for these forums. As far as vulgarities are concerned anyway
 
The reason that I turned the question around is because then it focuses exactly what is meant by risk.
Is there anything extra that Open offers, apart from added risk?

Yes - social interaction. The very thing that makes the introvert avoid open is the very thing that draws the extrovert to open.

If open offers you nothing, apart from added risk, then you have nothing at all to complain about because you can play solo.

If open offers you added risk because of other people, and you're playing because you want to play with other people, you're complaining about getting wet at a swimming pool.

Mode complaining is completely illogical.
 
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I don't agree with you, but it doesn't really matter. Even though you see someones choice as avoiding risk, that doesn't make that choice any less valid. Adding or removing incentives to play in a specific mode isn't going to change "most" peoples reason for playing in the mode they are in at the time.
I'm not saying it makes their choice less valid.
I'm not advocating incentives for a specific mode.

I'm just asking if there is any other reason to choose Open apart from the added risk.

- - - Updated - - -

Yes - social interaction. The very thing that makes the introvert avoid open is the very thing that draws the extrovert to open.

If open offers you nothing, apart from added risk, then you have nothing at all to complain about because you can play solo.

If open offers you added risk because of other people, and you're playing because you want to play with other people, you're complaining about getting wet at a swimming pool.

Mode complaining is completely illogical.

Group offers social interaction. You could argue that it offers less, or a different flavour, but it still offers it.

Incidentally I am extremely introvert. Introverts still crave social interaction, they just prefer to do it on their terms and need periods where they can avoid it altogether.
 
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I'm not saying it makes their choice less valid.
I'm not advocating incentives for a specific mode.

I'm just asking if there is any other reason to choose Open apart from the added risk.
To answer your question, it appears that you look at everything as risk, so from your point of view, it would seam that no, there is no other reason. For those of us who don't interpret everything as a level of risk, then yes, there are several other reasons, most of which have been mentioned in this thread.
 
And players who play Solo mode avoid the risk of playing in a pure PvE group? Somehow my definition of risk (and the one I just read in a dictionary) is somewhat different than your definition of risk.

I am not asking for reasons why people would play in solo. I fully understand those.
I am suggesting that the only extra thing that Open really adds is risk and asking if there is anything else.
 
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