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Please Eliminate Forced-Solo Instances - Thanks

GreySix
GreySix
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My wife and I play subscription online games like ESO for one reason, and one reason only: We like to play cooperatively, often while geographically separated.

Forcing our characters into solo-only instances in the main quest line disallows us to do so.

When we played SWTOR, never once were we forced into solo-only play, yet those who desired to solo such instances were still able to do so. It was a choice, left up to the players.

... and SWTOR got so much wrong.

Please fix this, or we will unsubscribe soon. Thanks.

Edit: To mimimize confusion, I've copied and pasted some more information here:

Current configuration:
  1. There are public dungeons, where it is first-come, first-served. I'm not referring to those.
  2. There are instanced dungeons that allow either solo-only instances or grouped instances. Keep those as are, since they facilitate player choice.
  3. There are currently solo-only dungeons, wherein grouping is not allowed.

Proposal: Fix Number 3 to allow what we see in Number 2 . Solo players would still be allowed to solo such content without seeing other players, and grouped players would be allowed to group such instances.
Edited by GreySix on 30 April 2014 22:02
Crotchety Old Man Guild

"Hey you, get off my lawn!"
  • ZiRM
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    Pleaase don't unsubscribe!!!!! *BeGs*
    Want to become Vampire? 5k @ZiRM in game.
    ESO Server Status. ( ^_^)o自自o(^_^ ) SkåL!!!!!
  • Sorpaijen_ESO
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    I'd re-word that request ---- I certainly don't want to ~eliminate~ solo only play.

    I have limited time to play and would not want to spend that time waiting for someone to join me.

    It's bad enough now, when I enter the zone for the final confrontation and find the big boss nearly dead and I have missed whatever intro dialog he might have had, and the fight is over and I get "credit" and the mission is over without ever even REALLY fighting the bad guy.

    I can certainly understand the desire to play with others and NEVER solo --- if I had a reliable partner, that would certainly be my preference --- but I DO like the ~option~ to solo.
  • GreySix
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    I'd re-word that request ---- I certainly don't want to ~eliminate~ solo only play.

    What I desire wouldn't disallow those who want to solo all content. Rather, it would eliminate forcing players in to solo-only play.

    If a player wanted to play all instances solo, he or she would be able to do so. See SWTOR as an example of what right looks like in this regard.
    Crotchety Old Man Guild

    "Hey you, get off my lawn!"
  • ZiRM
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    I think they have a good mix of solo and public things. Like someone said I've entered in on the tail end of a boss battle and got 1 shot off and BOOM I got the reward... what's the fun in that all the time. I don't feel like waiting around until it spawns again because someone else will come along and join in the fight anyways.

    The solo things give me a sense of accomplishment and seeing if I got what it takes. Don't get me wrong I luv wrecking things in groups, it's fun but the solo things test your builds and tactics.
    Want to become Vampire? 5k @ZiRM in game.
    ESO Server Status. ( ^_^)o自自o(^_^ ) SkåL!!!!!
  • GreySix
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    NiRN wrote: »
    I think they have a good mix of solo and public things. Like someone said I've entered in on the tail end of a boss battle and got 1 shot off and BOOM I got the reward... what's the fun in that all the time. I don't feel like waiting around until it spawns again because someone else will come along and join in the fight anyways.
    I fear I'm being misunderstood here, so allow me to elaborate:

    Current configuration:

    1. There are public dungeons, where it is first-come, first-served. I'm not referring to those.
    2. There are instanced dungeons that allow either solo-only instances or grouped instances. Keep those as are, since they facilitate player choice.
    3. There are currently solo-only dungeons, wherein grouping is not allowed.
    Proposal: Fix Number 3 to allow what we see in Number 2 . Solo players would still be allowed to solo such content without seeing other players, and grouped players would be allowed to group such instances.
    Crotchety Old Man Guild

    "Hey you, get off my lawn!"
  • ZiRM
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    I agree, definitely more choices is always a better thing. I would go for being able to choose Solo or Group. Great idea.
    Want to become Vampire? 5k @ZiRM in game.
    ESO Server Status. ( ^_^)o自自o(^_^ ) SkåL!!!!!
  • aresdestructorub17_ESO1
    I completely agree with this.
  • Islyn
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    Agreed to having option to solo or group.
  • Tarwin
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    I thought I had seen posts that you can call someone into your instance? Or not possible?
  • GreySix
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    I thought I had seen posts that you can call someone into your instance? Or not possible?
    I've been unable to do so, at least in regard to the main quest.
    Crotchety Old Man Guild

    "Hey you, get off my lawn!"
  • Sakiri
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    NiRN wrote: »
    I think they have a good mix of solo and public things. Like someone said I've entered in on the tail end of a boss battle and got 1 shot off and BOOM I got the reward... what's the fun in that all the time. I don't feel like waiting around until it spawns again because someone else will come along and join in the fight anyways.

    The solo things give me a sense of accomplishment and seeing if I got what it takes. Don't get me wrong I luv wrecking things in groups, it's fun but the solo things test your builds and tactics.

    And youd still be able to.

    I want to be able to help my friend that didnt do castle of the worm until 32 because it was too hard.

    That wont be able to join me in vet content because of mannimarco.

    If they cant be brute forced, he cant complete it. End of story.
  • GreySix
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    Well, it's done: Our subscriptions will be up in seven days. I'll keep an eye on these forums to see if this critical issue has been addressed. If it is, then we'll re-subscribe and enjoy the game.
    Crotchety Old Man Guild

    "Hey you, get off my lawn!"
  • Gilvoth
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    i want solo only play in eso. i like it the way it is.
  • GreySix
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    i want solo only play in eso. i like it the way it is.

    How would what I proposed prevent you from playing such content solo?

    Edit: Do folks not read threads, prior to posting in them?
    Edited by GreySix on 30 April 2014 18:58
    Crotchety Old Man Guild

    "Hey you, get off my lawn!"
  • columbineb14_ESO
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    GreySix wrote: »
    Edit: Do folks not read threads, prior to posting in them?

    No.

    And reading comprehension in general is a lost art. </oldgrouch>
    I have just told you more than I know.
  • SirAndy
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    GreySix wrote: »
    Edit: Do folks not read threads, prior to posting in them?
    Your ambiguous thread title certainly doesn't help with that ...
    ;-)
  • GreySix
    GreySix
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    SirAndy wrote: »
    GreySix wrote: »
    Edit: Do folks not read threads, prior to posting in them?
    Your ambiguous thread title certainly doesn't help with that ...
    ;-)

    Apologies then; my initial thought was that folks would be able to differentiate between "solo" and "solo-only" though apparently that was a bad assumption.
    Crotchety Old Man Guild

    "Hey you, get off my lawn!"
  • SirAndy
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    GreySix wrote: »
    Apologies then; my initial thought was that folks would be able to differentiate between "solo" and "solo-only" though apparently that was a bad assumption.
    In the context of your thread title, both "solo" and "solo-only" are ambiguous.

    "Please Eliminate Solo-Only Play" can easily be interpreted to mean:
    "Please eliminate the possibility for players to play solo and force them to group in order to play the game".

    I know that's not what you meant, but it's obvious from some of the responses you got in this thread that not everyone understood you correctly ...
    ;-)
  • GreySix
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    Solid point, so I've edited the title and initial post in an effort to minimize confusion.
    Crotchety Old Man Guild

    "Hey you, get off my lawn!"
  • Sakiri
    Sakiri
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    GreySix wrote: »
    Edit: Do folks not read threads, prior to posting in them?

    No.

    And reading comprehension in general is a lost art. </oldgrouch>

    GET OFF MY LAWN.
  • Covarnis
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    To my understanding, solo instances are minimal (3 quest lines each 5-7 levels). Some of them are hard, sure, but I think they function like tutorials or checkpoints to make sure you know what you are doing with your builds, gameplay etc. They serve as well as "training" for group dungeon and endgame content IMO.

    I quite like it as it is now. However, if many people insist something like swtor system could exist (where you can take friend or two with you into your solo instance, which does progress only for you, and friend(s) just tag along)

    To my understanding, they have little connection to improving or degrading group play or social aspects. Is it really that bad?
  • GreySix
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    Covarnis wrote: »
    To my understanding, solo instances are minimal (3 quest lines each 5-7 levels).
    The main quest line is forced-solo. That is unacceptable.
    Crotchety Old Man Guild

    "Hey you, get off my lawn!"
  • bearcalypse
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    Well said. This was a deal-breaker for us as well @GreySix. Along with lack of scaling on mobs and having to constantly log out and log back in so that we could zone into instances without waiting 15+ minutes for the zone loading to finish for one person while the other person loaded into the instance immediately.
  • neo7733b14_ESO
    neo7733b14_ESO
    Soul Shriven
    I know it's not crazy hard in many of these instances but it is annoying when the whole reason you play the game is to play with people. I just don't understand why there is no option to join your group in these quests.
  • SexyVette07
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    Uhh, you realize that the story revolves around one vestige and the five companions? Five. Not six. Not eight.

    Just play the story as intended. Its not like its that hard anyway....
  • ChairGraveyard
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    GreySix wrote: »
    My wife and I play subscription online games like ESO for one reason, and one reason only: We like to play cooperatively, often while geographically separated.

    Forcing our characters into solo-only instances in the main quest line disallows us to do so.

    When we played SWTOR, never once were we forced into solo-only play, yet those who desired to solo such instances were still able to do so. It was a choice, left up to the players.

    ... and SWTOR got so much wrong.

    Please fix this, or we will unsubscribe soon. Thanks.

    Edit: To mimimize confusion, I've copied and pasted some more information here:

    Current configuration:
    1. There are public dungeons, where it is first-come, first-served. I'm not referring to those.
    2. There are instanced dungeons that allow either solo-only instances or grouped instances. Keep those as are, since they facilitate player choice.
    3. There are currently solo-only dungeons, wherein grouping is not allowed.

    Proposal: Fix Number 3 to allow what we see in Number 2 . Solo players would still be allowed to solo such content without seeing other players, and grouped players would be allowed to group such instances.

    QFT.

    My girlfriend told me the other day that she wanted to quit, and she was really disappointed because she likes the game a lot.

    She's not a gamer, and this is her first MMO, and she finds some of it pretty hard to solo at times (mostly on-level).

    It would be fine if I could help her out and tag along, but since most of the major quests are solo-only, I can't help her and she gets stuck.

    I really don't want her to quit the game but if I can't join her to help her I see it as an inevitability.

    She'll eventually improve (like I said, her first real game) but at this point she is too frustrated and will quit before she improves enough to continue playing.

    At the VERY least let us tag along on Mage's/Fighter's Guild quests.
    Edited by ChairGraveyard on 6 May 2014 03:17
  • ChairGraveyard
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    Uhh, you realize that the story revolves around one vestige and the five companions? Five. Not six. Not eight.

    Just play the story as intended. Its not like its that hard anyway....

    So other people having a random adventurer along with the five companions ruins your game, HOW exactly? Be precise, because I suspect you don't actually have a real reason.

    On the other hand, people like the OP and my gf have real issues with the solo-only quests and friends/SOs not being able to progress because of them. None of that affects you.
  • GreySix
    GreySix
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    Uhh, you realize that the story revolves around one vestige and the five companions? Five. Not six. Not eight.
    Yeah, and in SWTOR, the story revolves around one (fill-in-the-blank) that became the great (fill-in-the-blank) of the Galaxy ... yet you could do so with friends helping you out along the way, including facing the big baddies.
    Just play the story as intended.
    Uhh, no thanks.

    You're not required to agree with me - that's the beauty of the inter-web and forums. But I'll keep pushing for the option to group so long as I've access to this particular forum.
    Crotchety Old Man Guild

    "Hey you, get off my lawn!"
  • Srugzal
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    GreySix wrote: »
    Covarnis wrote: »
    To my understanding, solo instances are minimal (3 quest lines each 5-7 levels).
    The main quest line is forced-solo. That is unacceptable.

    I wouldn't say forced solo, I'd say solo-by-design. Which suggests a question. Suppose they allowed grouping into the main story line. How would that work, exactly, as far as the story, you the Soul Shriven hero that defeats Molag Bal and saves Tamriel? How could it be made into a group experience? See, the story is important here, not like in other MMOs where questing is more about quick leveling and into the endgame than about driving a story--or so I've been told.

    And it's not like you can actually do the quest all in one go, hours of enforced solitude as it were. Every 5 levels you have a single quest with a boss fight at the end. It seems to me to be an extreme position. For one thing, group boss fights are a LOT easier. If they buffed the fights to make them challenging to groups (like the Undaunted Dungeons), then they'd be essentially unplayable by single players. Now you want two different bosses, depending on whether it's a solo player or not? What if the solo player calls in reinforcements? What then? Do you see why this is just an untenable idea? It's impossible to maintain the integrity of the story and make these quests multiplayer.
  • Ysne58
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    I do agree that those forced solo quests should not be forced solo. I'm have managed to defeat Doshia twice now while level 11 on two different chars, but it still was not easy or fun.
This discussion has been closed.