Open Linkshell Ads

[SHJcules]

(summary: suggestion for an in-game searchable database of open linkshells. LS leaders could post ads in the database and describe who they are looking for and the LS general goals etc. Players could search these ads at any time with the option to contact the leader directly, or any online member that could invite them)


As in any MMO, the social/Linkshell aspect of XIV is massive. Though I do enjoy playing with all the solo content that they are throwing at us, even the most ironclad lone-wolf adventurer will begin to feel barren and empty inside after some time has passed. We all need a good group of like-minded adventurers to share our adventures with! This should come as no surprise.

The Problem:

Finding and maintaining a good linkshell can be a pain in my keyster! The days of complete strangers grouping together and forming a LS after a night of mayhem seem a distant memory. The popular method now seems to just hang out in Ul'Dah (or local camps) as much as possible and make shouts if you are looking/recruiting members. This method, aside from leaving players who can't stand the smell the Ul'Dah in a bit of a social pickle, also seems to be the root of why so many LS have issues of being forced to reform. With such a large influx of random people and not knowing anything about the LS leaders or their goals and general direction, the wrong people end up in the wrong LSs. People who end up quitting in two weeks join LS that are serious about the game, people who want to chat end up in high lvl serious player LS, DoW grinders end up in Lalafell crafting LSs, etc. It is not uncommon for me to see groups of 20+ people online and no one has much in common or talks or knows why they're there. On top of this, players who become part of a good group quarantine themselves and rarely do anything outside of their own LS, hurting others who enjoy grouping with strangers, or who are not lucky enough to have a good shell to call home.

Personally, I spend 99% of my game time in Limsa and Gridania, I pass too many players without shells and see them playing solo, I have nothing against people who play like this, but I do not think it is always because of their choosing. Sure we have community forums and a lot of leaders are good at maintaining their personal websites and such, but such a small minority utilize things such as these. It is not that we are incompetent, and need SE to make friends for us, but I do feel a little assistance would go far from the SE end.

The Solution: (suggestion)

In-game Linkshell recruitment ad pages. I dislike putting the word recruit and LS together, but I think it fits (maybe call them "open Linkshell pages" or something). Anyways, it would just be an accessible list of your servers LSs that are open and looking for members. The leader could choose to post an ad (cost some gils too wouldn't be a bad idea) and his LS crest and name would show up in a list along with its basics; member count, one sentence description the leader could write, creation date, central city, and main language. In addition, the leader can create a more detailed description introducing himself and who he is looking for, hours of ideal active play, purpose of the LS and their goals and well whatever they want. These could be updated a few times daily and newest ads showing up top, so that people don't waste time checking old dead LS because they'll all be way down on page 17! As for the seeker side of things, players could browse these open LS whenever they want and if they like the looks of a LS, have the option to contact the leader automatically. If s/he is offline it will try to contact the next LS leader on the list. I feel with a system somewhat like this, even the most forest-bound, casual, solo, shy, introversive, secluded individual could pretty easily find a nice group of like minded friends to share their in game time with.

Sorry it got kind of long there! started to ramble for a bit.. But I feel this is a pretty large issue that can kill a lot of enjoyment for people coming into the game, or old players having difficulty stumbling into that right group of adventurers.

[mmk]

good idea sir

[SHJcules]

thanks for the support mmk

haven't checked here in a while, as I don't see this idea being an issue at the moment for a lot of current players. It seems most of the forum-goers are pretty well established in shells. But as people start to come back to the game, or complete strangers to Eorzea arrive, I think a system like this could be incredibly useful!

It is never too early to start brainstorming and thinking ahead

also, bump for editing in a summary. my posts are generally much longer than they need to be lol. Perhaps now more will glance over it and give their feedback

[tymora]

An in-game browse-able registrar of LS-es will be nice.