So I can't play with my friend?

KerinKor

So a friend and I have created character and are at the same location in Coldharbour, but we can't see each other! We tried grouping and I used "Travel to" but got the message I can't travel.

So how are we supposed to play together if we're in different phases, or whatever this game calls what GW2 calls 'overflow'?

TheBaldGuy

Have you tried grouping with him outside of Coldharbour?

Cayce_of_Kata

Coldharbour is instanced, I believe - you probably won't be able to play with each other inside of it. However, you can get through Coldharbour in ten minutes or less, and there's little challenge there.

puddlejumper

When you get out of the tutorial, you will appear to each other. At least, it worked that way in the beta.

KerinKor

@TheBadGuy: no, we only just created the characters and wanted to level together, we haven't completed Coldharbour yet.

@Cayce, @Puddlejumper: ah, I see, that didn't occur to me. Guess we'll have to try to meet up outside.

Cheers all.

trinta

Yep, you have to get through the tutorial area before you're able to travel to each other.

Taeko

Go to your party tab and type in your friend's char name so that u can form a group/party. Then whoever is NOT the party leader-log out and then log back in. Hopefully this will bring u to the same instance. This worked for me and a friend during Beta.

Logging out and then logging back in after your party is formed worked in Coldharbour. You can party up w/ friends here.

Inversus

Me and my friend were not able to see each other, until we left coldharbour.
Just leave coldharbour at the end of the quest, then meet up.

Allaerra

As stated above, Coldharbor is instanced as a solo area. There are a few of those in game, Cheesemonger's Hollow is an example. During those instances you will not see your friend. However once you are outside of those areas you will be able to play together.

KerinKor

Allaerra wrote: »

As stated above, Coldharbor is instanced as a solo area.

But it isn't solo, I was able to 'party up' with others but not my friend as I couldn't see him.

I think I saw some sections were solo but the main area and the one that follows are certainly multi-player.

On that basis, why didn't 'Travel to' work?

The point may be moot once we leave but it's kind of jarring that one's first experience of the game with a friend doesn't work unless you're apparently lucky and end up in the same 'phase' (or whatever it's called).

mutharex

Are you at least in the same alliance?

daneyulebub17_ESO

It's NOT just a matter of being in Cold Harbor. It's when people are split into different instances to deal with too many people in a zone (In Lotro, they call them "layers", and there's a choice in the GUI to "travel to group leader's layer"). You see the triangle showing your group member is in the area, but not them. Different instance.

In this game, no easy way to join up on the same layer (or phase, instance--whatever you call it). "Travel to friend" works sporadically, and puts you at a wayshrine (least it did for us). Had to do it twice before we saw each other--until then, she was a disembodied little triangle. One member could also login/logout after grouping and it -should- bring you to the same layer.

There should be a choice in the Group window to move to the same layer.

KerinKor

daneyulebub17_ESO wrote: »

In this game, no easy way to join up on the same layer (or phase, instance--whatever you call it). "Travel to friend" works sporadically, and puts you at a wayshrine (least it did for us). Had to do it twice before we saw each other--until then, she was a disembodied little triangle. One member could also login/logout after grouping and it -should- bring you to the same layer.

Aha!

Glad you posted that as I came back to this thread to ask just about this point, as that's exactly what happened to us once we'd left Coldharbour.

Had exactly your experience, needing two travels, the 'little triangle' when standing next to each other, exactly the same experience.

I *think* I used 'Travel to Leader' because we'd grouped up to try it, rather than 'Travel to Friend' so I guess it's just a broken system.

Really hope Zenimax fix this soon because it folks can't easily and reliably get into the same 'layer' as friends or party members they'll stop playing.

Tiyamel

daneyulebub17_ESO wrote: »

It's NOT just a matter of being in Cold Harbor. It's when people are split into different instances to deal with too many people in a zone (In Lotro, they call them "layers", and there's a choice in the GUI to "travel to group leader's layer"). You see the triangle showing your group member is in the area, but not them. Different instance.

In this game, no easy way to join up on the same layer (or phase, instance--whatever you call it). "Travel to friend" works sporadically, and puts you at a wayshrine (least it did for us). Had to do it twice before we saw each other--until then, she was a disembodied little triangle. One member could also login/logout after grouping and it -should- bring you to the same layer.

There should be a choice in the Group window to move to the same layer.

this explains exactly the problems me and friends were facing, in party but unable to see each other, logging out and back in resolved this, but thats really annoying, i hope they add an option to enable us to meet in the same 'layer'

Usstan

Also, remember that some outdoor areas are multi instanced and that you need to be at the same stage in a quest to see each other.

You can be running together and seeing each other, and then when you enter the quest area, the other person(s) will suddenly go invisible and stay that way until they get to the same stage in the quest as you are.

Interkarma

This was causing us some grief also. I'm enjoying the game a great deal, but there are certainly some odd design choices which make the MMO aspect feel more like a freshly shuffled deck of cards than a real player community. I hope this is refined over time.

Malkavianqueen

They really need to work on the phasing. :C My boyfriend and I are usually in a group, in the same guild, and on eachother's friends list and we still don't get phased together the majority of the time when changing zones. The travel to player feature works...sometimes.

I wish that you could travel TO whoever you select instead of traveling to their phase and the nearest waypoint. One time he ended up across the map somehow and had to run past higher level mobs to get to me.

KerinKor

Malkavianqueen wrote: »

I wish that you could travel TO whoever you select instead of traveling to their phase and the nearest waypoint. One time he ended up across the map somehow and had to run past higher level mobs to get to me.

This!

Clearly a 'travel to where the player is' is exploitable however Zenimax chose to implement 'mega-servers' instead of the usual 'multiple worlds' model so they created the problem where friends and party members are LIKELY to not be in the same layer/phase/whatever-they-call-it and will have to suffer the consequences of any exploitation.

If they don't fix it and it continues to be 'Travel to nearest wayshrine no matter how far away and difficult it is to get to Player' then I don't think I'm being melodramatic in saying a lot of people will stop playing: if you can't EASILY join a group and get to them people won't put up with it.