Almost everyone wants to "skip" having to raid!

[Cherie]

I can totally appreciate the idea of a static as feeling like a "doctor's appointment". But then again, what about people that do things outside of games on their computer?

Maybe it's just my age talking, but I can remember things like, well having tennis lessons that were on a certain time and date... Or going swimming every Tuesday with friends. Maybe some of you play a tabletop game like Warhammer with friends on Wednesdays. Is a online "static" really that different than a activity like that? It's actually a lot less involved than those really, considering you could eat a sandwich while doing it and no one would know (Unless you leave you mic open!). Also you could play your static group without wearing pants (Pants only slow down raiders anyway, it's a fact!)!

[givemeraptors]

I can totally appreciate the idea of a static as feeling like a "doctor's appointment". But then again, what about people that do things outside of games on their computer?

Maybe it's just my age talking, but I can remember things like, well having tennis lessons that were on a certain time and date... Or going swimming every Tuesday with friends. Maybe some of you play a tabletop game like Warhammer with friends on Wednesdays. Is a online "static" really that different than a activity like that?

The problem is the way the fights are tuned and how they're unlocked. A missing member or two can potentially screw over 6-7 other people. Missing a tennis appointment or a Warhammer game doesn't totally ruin the plans of a whole group.

[hours]

Is the concern towards socialization WHILE raiding or can those two be independent?

Because all of my friends, whether they are the RL ones who play on different servers or the few in-game ones on my server, play to socialize with other people and all of them avoid raids like the plague. I am the only person who is constantly raiding and playing alone. Them? They just use the game as a chatroom.

[Cherie]

Is the concern towards socialization WHILE raiding or can those two be independent?

Because all of my friends, whether they are the RL ones who play on different servers or the few in-game ones on my server, play to socialize with other people and all of them avoid raids like the plague. I am the only person who is constantly raiding and playing alone. Them? They just use the game as a chatroom.

Very true... I can understand wanting to use these games for socializing I think. Personally, I had gravitated toward the "RP" type servers when those were a popular thing in these games, even though I'm not really in to RP. I just enjoy having people around that like to socialize and found that people on those servers people liked to talk more. Faeblight server in Rift was a RP server, but very little RP went on in the day to day activities there. There was RP to be found, but most people there were just others that didn't mind RP and might or might not have actually done any themselves. But usually they found the game itself to be a social outlet.

In a way, I find many just like to be a cat, lala, or whatever and play around as their avatar. Whatever these games evolve in to in the future, whether raiding as we know it goes away or not, we obviously have quite a few people that still play these things, I just wish there were more activities that were fun. It seems like most people find things like the various farm activities a bit mundane. While those same people might find raiding too extreme, maybe there is some middle ground that developers could figure out.

[IveraIvalice]

I can totally appreciate the idea of a static as feeling like a "doctor's appointment". But then again, what about people that do things outside of games on their computer?
Maybe it's just my age talking, but I can remember things like, well having tennis lessons that were on a certain time and date... Or going swimming every Tuesday with friends. Maybe some of you play a tabletop game like Warhammer with friends on Wednesdays. Is a online "static" really that different than a activity like that? It's actually a lot less involved than those really, considering you could eat a sandwich while doing it and no one would know (Unless you leave you mic open!). Also you could play your static group without wearing pants (Pants only slow down raiders anyway, it's a fact!)!

That's true but it's all about the individual. While there are definetly people who have other things scheduled like tennis lessons and it wouldn't be much different then that. I'm not one of those people. I never have any appointments for anything unless I know I need to, but not for hobbies. I don't play any other mmos. This is the one I stuck with since 1.0.
The difference here is that you mentioned doing those scheduled things with friends. I can't make a static with friends and I don't want to make one with random people.
It's not hard to find a static but it is if I want to play with people I know. I want to make friends with new people just by meeting them, not because I'm forced to like a group because their static schedule matches my free time.

The whole thing just feels like a chore. You must interact with people you don't know, you must make friends with them or tolerate them just to get the raid done, you must be good or you'll make them mad and might get kicked, and often times you must have a mic.
None of that seems fun to me. Again there's nothing wrong with that. I'm sure it's all just efficiency for those that do it, but it doesn't work for me

[skaterger]

That's true but it's all about the individual. While there are definetly people who have other things scheduled like tennis lessons and it wouldn't be much different then that. I'm not one of those people. I never have any appointments for anything unless I know I need to, but not for hobbies. I don't play any other mmos. This is the one I stuck with since 1.0.
The difference here is that you mentioned doing those scheduled things with friends. I can't make a static with friends and I don't want to make one with random people.
It's not hard to find a static but it is if I want to play with people I know. I want to make friends with new people just by meeting them, not because I'm forced to like a group because their static schedule matches my free time.

The whole thing just feels like a chore. You must interact with people you don't know, you must make friends with them or tolerate them just to get the raid done, you must be good or you'll make them mad and might get kicked, and often times you must have a mic.
None of that seems fun to me. Again there's nothing wrong with that. I'm sure it's all just efficiency for those that do it, but it doesn't work for me

Maybe I'm missing something, but why can't you make friends with the other 7 people in your static? They're real people too, and just because you are forced to interact with them in an "arranged" situation does not make them any less of a person. It's like saying that real love can never possibly exist between two people that meet through matchmaking or online dating. Personally I met many friends through raid groups (both pugs and statics) and it usually occurs from banter in between wipes. I don't think raiding is just srz business where its just killing bosses that matters, but having fun and joking around are actually more important for many groups.

[Skull_Angel]

Maybe I'm missing something, but why can't you make friends with the other 7 people in your static? They're real people too, and just because you are forced to interact with them in an "arranged" situation does not make them any less of a person. It's like saying that real love can never possibly exist between two people that meet through matchmaking or online dating. Personally I met many friends through raid groups (both pugs and statics) and it usually occurs from banter in between wipes. I don't think raiding is just srz business where its just killing bosses that matters, but having fun and joking around are actually more important for many groups.

It takes two to make it (friendship) happen and some people just don't seem to like to interact. When I run full party events with my friends and we pick up some randoms we tend to goof off during down time, most of the pick-ups just seem to sit there and wait or start going elitest (not many, but happens often enough) while may be 1/20 join in; it's those ones that we ask to join our LS/FC, but sadly only half end up accepting.

[Logistical]

Maybe I'm missing something, but why can't you make friends with the other 7 people in your static? They're real people too, and just because you are forced to interact with them in an "arranged" situation does not make them any less of a person. It's like saying that real love can never possibly exist between two people that meet through matchmaking or online dating. Personally I met many friends through raid groups (both pugs and statics) and it usually occurs from banter in between wipes. I don't think raiding is just srz business where its just killing bosses that matters, but having fun and joking around are actually more important for many groups.

Best Line!

[IveraIvalice]

Maybe I'm missing something, but why can't you make friends with the other 7 people in your static? They're real people too, and just because you are forced to interact with them in an "arranged" situation does not make them any less of a person. It's like saying that real love can never possibly exist between two people that meet through matchmaking or online dating. Personally I met many friends through raid groups (both pugs and statics) and it usually occurs from banter in between wipes. I don't think raiding is just srz business where its just killing bosses that matters, but having fun and joking around are actually more important for many groups.

I usually make friends with people I DF with by joking around and helping people out. I usually don't see those people again but at least I helped and that's just enjoyment to me.
Dont take this the wrong way to any in statics and prefer that method of playing, but I always felt like the people who do that are elitist that want the best people and are constantly judging how others play so that they can tell you how to do it better.
I know that's not all of them but I think that if I was gonna meet some elitists, it would be in a static. They are certainly people that deserve to make friends but they don't seem like the kind of friends I want to make. Im sure they would make friends with people who have the same goals as them. But I usually don't. Again not all of them. At least if I find an elitist in a DF they are the first ones to leave and then the rest of us are happy to go along with the dungeon.

When I would do some very rare coil pug groups when first coil was still lock out, I very rarely found anyone who was about having a good time. It was always just trying to get it done as fast as possible and anyone who gets in the way of that (new people) they would just replace. Because they knew what to do and expected everyone else to also.
That's just not enjoyable, especially when I'm the one getting kicked because I haven't done the dungeon before.

[Logistical]

-snip-

I can agree with you, in a sense. Elitists are everywhere though. Inside and Outside Statics.