Why do people want solo play in an MMORPG?

[PSxpert2011]

solo? huh?? what game are we talking about here, WOW?
I'm sorry, some of you must be logged in the wrong forum for the ubberWRONG GAME!


O_o

[fusional]

even in a (massively multiplayer) online game, sometimes people aren't online or they're busy or you just wanna do something by yourself for a bit. it can be meditative or whatever. maybe you don't have much time to play that day and it would take too long to get a group together. for that reason, every MMO should have solo content... and a fair bit of it.

however, i agree- *basing* an MMO around solo content is a guaranteed recipe for long-term failure. people will just blow through the content, get bored, and stop logging in. also if there's *too much* solo content or *not enough* incentive to group, it creates an environment where you just have a bunch of people playing the same 'single player' game online at the same time. so they encounter each other but don't acknowledge.

it's nice having the option for solo content, but when the game revolves around it... the whole thing just feels a bit disjointed and distant. without the heavily social element it doesn't feel like an MMO anymore.

Well, there is "RPG" at the end of "MMORPG" isn't there?

and what are the first 3 letters? what do they mean, and why are they there? don't be intentionally daft to stand by your point. it's patently obvious that a successfully structured MMO will not only possess, but effectively integrate parts from both.

solo? huh?? what game are we talking about here, WOW?
I'm sorry, some of you must be logged in the wrong forum for the ubberWRONG GAME!


O_o

and this reply right here is a prime example of why i won't bother to slog through all 20+ pages of this thread. not only was FFXIV 1.0 just as casual/solo-friendly as non-endgame WoW, but 25man raids in WoW would absolutely eat you alive.

but go on with your bad biased self.

[PSxpert2011]

Lol, I jest, I jest...

Yeah well all else has failed and you know people but they're just no around at the time. There's things to do solo. That's what you call the casual approach! Casuals are never compromised and don't have a set schedule but they can have a guild aka Linkshell but not very endgame happy.

If you wanna solo content, it's always fun risking it all when your level-capped. It's not a guaranty that you win but its fun to run if you can't.

That's why the FFXIV dev team is creating quest to force partying.

That'll teach them casuals! (lol, kidding) XD

[Dagr81]

I feel like as long as "Multiplayer" is part of "MMO," solo should be an option, but not a priority in development.
If a game is meant to be solo-centric, it should stay single player with multiplayer built in.

there you have it, in a nut shell.
there should be an option to play solo (people are busy and some of us are older) we may not have the time
but this is a MMO the game should have tyou play with other people more than you can solo

i coin a new tearm MSPorpg
multi single player online role playing game
its coming you wil see

[fusional]

i coin a new tearm MSPorpg
multi single player online role playing game
its coming you wil see

and GW2 can be the posterchild

[Cendres]

Some people don't like being forced into social interaction.

Some of those same people like playing MMOs.

/thread

edit: Missed 2 words.

(Personally, I will just wait until friends log in, but I can see why others solo)

YUP!!

Starlord, you are an awesome individual so I will be both frank and gentle (the latter is rare for me on these forums.. ^-~) But your title of thread very much incenses me. Because I am a solo player primarily and I don't think I owe you or anyone else any reason for my choices I also do NOT go around telling the devs how they should design their game or others how they should play.

I enjoy soloing because it allows me freedom, I can hop in and out of game totally guilt free and most days that's a big deal for me. However I enjoy the company of others as well so chatting and meeting new people out in the world is attractive to me. That's why I play MMOs and not just stick to single player RPGs that offer no other human to talk to or interact with.

There MORE ways to be social then LFG or partying with people all the time, there are many ways of doing many things in life as well that do not conform to how MOST people do them either.

Now that quote you have is from someone who's had bad experiences which I also had in XI, and that's due to the community being very rigid in their expectations and interactions with others, not really to do with grouping in itself. So both that player and yourself have something to learn here, that a better online multiplayer game starts with you, set the example and be open minded to have fun in different ways. And don't get discouraged by a few bad experiences.

[Daniolaut]

I just don't get it, MMORPG stands for Massive Multiplayer Role Playing Game. Some people want the game to base around solo play, ( which was mostly 1.0 and at some points did get frustrating to just do everything by myself.)

Do they even know what an MMO is? This is just a little gripe that I been having everytime the subject arises.

Going to get bread now to make Sausage Sandwiches!

Example:



Source: http://www.facebook.com/FinalFantasyXIV?fref=ts

Simple answer:

Final Fantasy's completely solo=12
Final Fantasy's MMO's =2

People are used to it. A lot of people who play FF XI, and FFXIV arent really fans of MMO's if at all, but are fans of Final Fantasy.

[Velhart]

and what are the first 3 letters? what do they mean, and why are they there? don't be intentionally daft to stand by your point. it's patently obvious that a successfully structured MMO will not only possess, but effectively integrate parts from both.

I'm sorry you didn't read my previous posts, but I already stated that there has to be a balance of solo/party play along with a balance between "MMO" and "RPG".

[Starlord]

YUP!!

Starlord, you are an awesome individual so I will be both frank and gentle (the latter is rare for me on these forums.. ^-~) But your title of thread very much incenses me. Because I am a solo player primarily and I don't think I owe you or anyone else any reason for my choices I also do NOT go around telling the devs how they should design their game or others how they should play.

I enjoy soloing because it allows me freedom, I can hop in and out of game totally guilt free and most days that's a big deal for me. However I enjoy the company of others as well so chatting and meeting new people out in the world is attractive to me. That's why I play MMOs and not just stick to single player RPGs that offer no other human to talk to or interact with.

There MORE ways to be social then LFG or partying with people all the time, there are many ways of doing many things in life as well that do not conform to how MOST people do them either.

Now that quote you have is from someone who's had bad experiences which I also had in XI, and that's due to the community being very rigid in their expectations and interactions with others, not really to do with grouping in itself. So both that player and yourself have something to learn here, that a better online multiplayer game starts with you, set the example and be open minded to have fun in different ways. And don't get discouraged by a few bad experiences.

My OP is a lot different as the thread progressed, if you read my posts you see my stance changed a little. I still stand by my Answer as MMO's should focus on Groups, and I still want solo in the game as well. There needs to be an equal Balance.

If most of the game is solo ( by game design not by player choice there's a difference), the game will be like it was in 1.0 at the beginning.

[Kaminto]

The only thing that bothers me with the structure of most MMO's are the so-called "customization", not in the terms of creating your avatars looks and traits but playstyle, a prime example are the subjob mechanic in FFXI, even though you can customize it anyway you want and experiment, in a party setting it was a no-no to come in being what YOU want, YOU had to be what would benefit the party in a maximized and efficient way, so the game went from being fun to being a slave to the system and doing research on what combinations work best with others, this kind of made me lose interest in joining parties because the right subjob wasn't enough, i also needed the so-called right equipment and had to stick with a certain role, "White Mage, why are you on the front lines fighting", is what i would get the most, but not all parties were like this and some were even fun and enjoyable but the majority were mostly people too hardcore for my tastes. All i'm saying is it's hard to enjoy an MMO and play with others when most of the others want you to be what they envision for their party setup.
P.S.: I was not a big fan of waiting for a party for 3-8 hours, creating one took even longer at times...