Sometimes I Miss The Old Days of MMORPG

dpayne83_ESO

Hello Everyone,

Wasn't sure where to post this and felt this was the best place. I've been thoroughly enjoying ESO just like I have enjoyed the other titles in the series. But lately I've been seeing things that make me miss the older days of MMO's (I'm talking Ultima Online and EQ). And it all really boils down to community. I'm not mentioning a certain MMO but it has felt that because of it the MMO community has taken a nose-dive. For instance today I was merrily exploring through Greenshade and I came across a chest that was being guarded by a mob. As I was attacking said mob someone ran up and took the chest that I was working for. When I confronted him about it; he told me to stop cry like a %#^$@.

I'm not sure if it's the fact I'm an older player who understand common courtesy to my fellow player or that fact, I for one, don't feel that the community should have to put up with this type of behavior. Thing is I couldn't report him for his use of language/actions like I can in other games but I do feel something should be done about these types of players. I never ran into these kids until a certain other game. I use the term loosely because not all kids are horrible players but most of the trolling, language, and just abusive players in general tend to be the younger generation because they're taking advantage of the fact they can act like a *** in an online environment and get away with it.

I seriously feel that something should be done about these negative players. Thank you for your time.

cubansyrusb16_ESO

I play a DK and if I see a player at a node or a chest I agro the mob off them to free them up to mine/open if they wish or they can continue to help kill it, a few time I have been to late and they die ..... so I pick the chest and leave myself in the Open animation to stop others approaching and wait a few minutes until they return, 8/10 these player return and I hand over the untouched chest.

For me the thank you or the /bow I receive is worth more than that blue staff/sword/shield that could be in the chest, communities are going down hill fast but rest ashore there are still some of us old/courteous players still around

dpayne83_ESO

I /applaud you, sir.

Marpat_Ninja

I wish there was some way to encourage common courtesy in these kinds of games.

Mortelus

I certainly wouldn't steel a chest from someone who is clearly fighting mobs to get to it. I would help them out, same with nodes and everything.

But equally I wouldn't go as far as to keep a chest for a player who just died.
Because chests are world loot and not one individuals right and I wouldn't expect a chest to be kept if I died.

Maybe I would see it differently if I saw someone fighting a few mobs just to get to a chest and then they died as I was trying to help them. In that situation I would probably help them get the chest.

But I agree OP, I remember my first MMO, full of helpful people, mutual respect when collecting nodes and the like.

One thing I don't like about this game is not being able to rez people because it uses a soulgem, and I have very few of these. Soulgems should only be used to restore enchanted items, rezzing is just a mechanic that should be in the game for all to enjoy. Get rid of it, it is annoying and makes me feel bad when I cannot rez a fellow player.

soulclaw

Oh look, it must be the rose coloured glasses hour.

The communities of old UO and EQ were full of hateful, racist slime long before WoW was conceived (look, I used the name of the game you were terrified to type and was not hit by lightning). They were exploiters who would curse you for objecting to their bad behaviour, they were gankers who put up websites celebrating the fact that they drove people from the game, they were thieves cursed you for fighting back and who cried like babies when you beat them down for stealing from you, they were foul mouthed in zone chat, they gave characters grossly offensive names and were proud to do so, and they behaved like stupid children.

The communities we have in MMOs today are so much better than what we had in 1998-2001.

Etchesketch

Truth ^^^^


No griefers in EQ???

lol

I played them all since u/o and Ac. Wow's community wasn't any worse than any of them, just bigger and more populated. The in game community in this game is not worse.

qwertyburnsb16_ESO

Yes, totally agree with the OP.

I had a total shitebag steal from a chest I just unlocked whilst I was sorting out my inventory to make room and he just sprinted away with the goods before I even took a note of his name tag. Still with any luck his mummy will cancel his subscription

Meanwhile, I too like to help out on kills when I see players health getting too low and have even pulled away the healers to make it easier. I have also seen others do it for both myself and others. So maybe, just maybe there is a community below the surface when all the 30 day players leave.

beriiel

I agree, and I miss them too. But there are some great players in this game as well.

Case in point, I couldn't remember who sold the soul gems, and asked in /zone. A player sent me what he/she had left over which was nice. Frankly that hasn't happened to me in a game since EQ was the it game to play.

My husband and I started a group for BC and the beginning quest was broken. Instead of just leaving, the other two players spent about 45 minutes trying to figure out how to "fix" the quest.

Honestly, I started putting the /zone trolls on ignore because they have nothing to say that I wish to hear and the game is a lot better for it.

byghostlightrwb17_ESO

yeah the player base is much like society in general these days, full of self opinionated and obsessed people. Even in one of my guilds I hate some people being comical racists (like South Park style), then started in on girl jokes and things just went further south from their. Obviously too young or stupid to realise South Park is a satire on the very people they are.

Likewise zone chat is like that, like no one talking has played anything that wasnt WoW. I for one would like one day on any MMO that didnt involve it being bought up in conversation.

I come from an EQ 1/2 and DAoC, the community on those games were far more mature because they required intelligence and skill to play. Half the problem I am coming across (and like the OP said) is because there is no roleplay server for people who truly want to play with other adults, those who are capable of thinking beyond WoW and dont talk like South park people. Without a roleplay server I feel like I am playing in a Westfields shopping centre foodcourt on a Thursday night. (im sure that might go over some peoples head)

The best community by far for me was Antonia Bayle server in EQ2.

dpayne83_ESO

I never claimed there were no griefers in EQ. I never said there weren't any in either game. Maybe I should have pointed out I miss the days where the communities were small and not full of people looking for the next big thing. With large communities come more and more negative players. I never encountered the ones who were racist or purposefully demeaning in EQ or UO. And to be honest I probably would have been reporting said players with the evidence I had (links, screenshots, etc.) if I did. That type of behavior isn't acceptable. If you argue that companies don't really ban people because they get money from them; well here's some food for though.

Say someone was harassing me in-game. I report them. They probably think that nothing would happen because they gave the company money to play. If I was the company I would punish them on the fact that a) I just made "X" amount of dollars off of them and they violated the terms of service and b) if they really want to play again they'll spend "X" amount of money to come back. So really it's in the best interest of the company to do something about the players who have a negative effect on their communities. They'll either a) keep making money from the people who just want to be a disease on the community or b) make money off of the people who want to play a game with a positive atmosphere.

annarr1117nub18_ESO

People get desperate at times in these types of online MMORPGs by stealing the glory from other players folks!

knightblaster

It's always like that when games launch, because people just want to level. I was playing earlier and there was a quest where you needed to collect X of Y and each node of X was "guarded" by 1-3 mobs. If you engaged the mobs, another player would promptly come along and loot the node "since it's available, lulz", so the best approach was to wait a few minutes for it to clear out and then do it, which is what I did. When people want to LVLVLVLVLVLVLVLVLVLVLVL, they will do stuff like that, because there is strength in numbers, and it's anonymous.

Imryll

I was mining a node in Bleakrock this morning when I was attacked by a bandit. Another player ran up and began to mine the node while I finished killing the mob. As I tried to remember whether there is a frown-with-disappointment emote in ESO, I realized that he hadn't looted the node. He was off before I could thank him, but it was a good reminder both that there are nice folks in-game, and that it's prudent to give others the benefit of any doubt. I'd have felt pretty small glaring at someone who just hadn't seen me.

DanteYoda

dpayne83_ESO wrote: »

Hello Everyone,

Wasn't sure where to post this and felt this was the best place. I've been thoroughly enjoying ESO just like I have enjoyed the other titles in the series. But lately I've been seeing things that make me miss the older days of MMO's (I'm talking Ultima Online and EQ). And it all really boils down to community. I'm not mentioning a certain MMO but it has felt that because of it the MMO community has taken a nose-dive. For instance today I was merrily exploring through Greenshade and I came across a chest that was being guarded by a mob. As I was attacking said mob someone ran up and took the chest that I was working for. When I confronted him about it; he told me to stop cry like a %#^$@.

I'm not sure if it's the fact I'm an older player who understand common courtesy to my fellow player or that fact, I for one, don't feel that the community should have to put up with this type of behavior. Thing is I couldn't report him for his use of language/actions like I can in other games but I do feel something should be done about these types of players. I never ran into these kids until a certain other game. I use the term loosely because not all kids are horrible players but most of the trolling, language, and just abusive players in general tend to be the younger generation because they're taking advantage of the fact they can act like a *** in an online environment and get away with it.

I seriously feel that something should be done about these negative players. Thank you for your time.

Honestly i blame the game mechanics and the company that allows for this, who makes this type of rewards system in a modern game with phasing and everything, was just lazy and promotes this behavior..

NombreDeLaBeast

I can honestly say that I wish I have seen more "nice" players. Without fail while exploring and finding a node of some sort (runes are the worst) I would accidentally aggro something and get distracted, mind you still standing over the damn node, and the second person would swoop in and take the resource and run off... It has happened many times before in other MMOs but for some reason seeing a Bosmer do it and run off pisses me off way more than it should...maybe I am racist towards Bosmer?

Amsel_McKay

People were bad in EQ... I remember people dragging giants, specs and Dragons to the starter areas to kill mass low level players. I also remember trains and people stealing drops (because all the drops could be picked up by ANYONE).

jezuitxb14_ESO

People have rosey outlooks of things from the past. The truth is that there were always tools in MMOs and there always will be tools in MMOs. The reason for this is that most people are tools to people they don't know.

Lazarus_Long

I think most online behavior is driven by "Can I get away with this?" mentality. On release day last week there were a few players in zone chat griefing others for asking questions about the game in chat instead using Google. I simply said "All this negativity is not good. If you have a problem with people asking questions why don't you turn off zone chat." After a few seconds of silence one of them replied "That's a good point." and I didn't see anything else from them all day.

My point is that if we want a good community we have set a good example and let them know we don't like griefing, won't tolerate it, and will step in when it's goes on. Leading by example usually gets results. Usually. When it doesn't we must report it and let ZOS know how we feel by using the player report tools and/or /feedback.

On a side note, the story lines in game that encourage players acting in crappy ways toward NPCs may have a lot to do with their attitudes towards their fellow players:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140210083239.htm

Sue_D_Nim

Marpat_Ninja wrote: »

I wish there was some way to encourage common courtesy in these kinds of games.

We can lead by example, my friend.

Of course, given the contempt for authority these unsavory pests have, it has a greater effect coming from a group; a united front.

Picture a group of roleplayers in a tavern, RPing in group chat and hurting nobody. Some jerks expend a deal of effort to disrupt and annoy them, and suddenly the little monkeys find themselves confronted in open chat (/say) by the whole group, and in character to boot. A thread like this in a forum won't even make them blink, but when they're confronted "in person" it must feel to them like being lectured in front of their parents' friends, or like being sent to the principal's office. They always end up slinking away.

Picture guilds who made it their business to walk around the world together helping new players, reporting bots, and publicly calling griefers out on their antisocial behavior. Their greater numbers and greater logic usually made for a happy ending.

Been there, done those things, got the T-shirts.

It won't change the world, but I have had a few kids (and they really were mostly youngsters who had apparently never been properly socialized) thank me later for teaching them a few things about how to behave to people, teaching them that there's a real person with real feelings behind each and every avatar, and teaching it in a way that was (usually) kind and patient and non-threatening. It may have only been a handful of kids, but they changed the way they looked at things and they changed their online behavior, and I did that. Made some new friends of some of them, too.

dpayne83_ESO wrote: »

I'm not sure if it's the fact I'm an older player who understand common courtesy to my fellow player or that fact, I for one, don't feel that the community should have to put up with this type of behavior.

For many years I've toyed with the daydream of a very casual guild of like-minded and MATURE people (both in character and in chronological age). I've just never mustered up the energy or commitment to create one and then have to manage it. Not to sound all "back in my day..." or "these young whippersnappers today..." but sometimes it's just refreshing to hang with people who weren't born when I was already out of college, who have the same cultural frame of reference, and who know what good manners and fair play are all about and aren't afraid to show it and pass it on.

Vikova

dpayne83_ESO wrote: »

I seriously feel that something should be done about these negative players. Thank you for your time.

Despite the validity of your frustration, the simple fact is that there is literally nothing that can be done about it.

Sue_D_Nim

Oops. Double post.

Lazarus_Long

RakeWorm wrote: »

Despite the validity of your frustration, the simple fact is that there is literally nothing that can be done about it.

I must respectfully disagree, RakeWorm. If we use the tools ZOS has given us we will be able to build a strong community. It won't be easy, but it will be worth while. It might should cheesy and overly dramatic in the context of a video game but to quote JFK:

"...We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win..."

Vikova

Lazarus_Long wrote: »

If we use the tools ZOS has given us we will be able to build a strong community.

This only counts for something that is actually reportable. Grabbing a chest while someone is attacking the mob isn't even in the ballpark of reportable.

Lazarus_Long

But a united front of players calling a Ninja a Ninja does a lot to discourage it. Like I said before, it's up to us. It's our community and if we don't use it we will loose it.

DanteYoda

In the end its not about us the gamers (we can obviously help and report bad apples), its how ZOS as a company deals with them that makes a difference if they are harshly punished others will be less likely to do it in the long run..

DesertYeti

I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that we were still pretty early on in MMO gaming back then and even still widespread internet. The broken and insecure hadn't quite yet figured out what it meant to have complete anonymity with no consequences.

There were still a bunch of morons running around, but people were more apt to jump in and help back then. Unfortunately, without real consequences the morons have multiplied exponentially and their behavior has somehow become acceptable to the general populous. It's a shame. I still love these games and there are still a lot of good quality people playing, I've just had to learn to move on and try to not let the idiots bother me.

Vikova

Lazarus_Long wrote: »

But a united front of players calling a Ninja a Ninja does a lot to discourage it. Like I said before, it's up to us. It's our community and if we don't use it we will loose it.

I disagree. Calling a ninja a ninja makes him enjoy being a ninja even more.

Your only recourse is to build your own sub-community of nice, respectful people and try to ignore the random meanieheads.

Lazarus_Long

RakeWorm wrote: »

I disagree. Calling a ninja a ninja makes him enjoy being a ninja even more.

Your only recourse is to build your own sub-community of nice, respectful people and try to ignore the random meanieheads.

Then we will have to agree to disagree. We can try and fail or try and succeed, but either is better than not trying at all IMHO.

Getorix

I agree with the OP, Sure there were pleanty of jerks/scammers and ninjas in EQ but they never lasted long, atleast not on Tunare. Most of them were quickly blacklisted and run off the server by the tight nit community.

And no we should not rely on the game company to get rid of these people, the community can do a much better job of it.

dpayne83_ESO

Getorix wrote: »

I agree with the OP, Sure there were pleanty of jerks/scammers and ninjas in EQ but they never lasted long, atleast not on Tunare. Most of them were quickly blacklisted and run off the server by the tight nit community.

And no we should not rely on the game company to get rid of these people, the community can do a much better job of it.

I agree. Perhaps when the negative players are brought to light and nobody wants to play with them they will either leave or change their tune. I feel sorry for the ones who remain a negative influence,playing a game when nobody wants to deal with them because they got called out too many times.