Group Finder is still bad

Alphashado · November 2014

Audigy wrote: »

I think many people don't have much experience with LFG tools. To wait for 20 minutes as a DPS is pretty standard, at WOW you wait up to 50 minutes at times.

Instant queues usually only go to tanks, healers wait a bit and then after a long wait the DPS will come.

This is what you get for being rude to tanks and healers all the time, don't blame the tool, blame your attitude (those that are rude in dungeons).

That said, if there is a bug then it needs fixing but the dream of instant queues wont come true unless you play tank

I sit in que forever as a tank and healer. Either its broken or nobody uses it.

brandon · November 2014

Cherryblossom wrote: »

brandon wrote: »

I agree with everything you have to say except removing faction barriers. There is a reason that they are there and it wouldn't make sense story wise for them to be removed. At least not while this 3 alliance story arc is going on.

Hope this is not a spoiler, but your point is not Valid as they make all toons play every single faction, so there is no reason not to combine.

You're correct about that. However there is in fact a story reason behind that, it isn't just you randomly being allowed into their territory. When you finish your faction you are allowed to go to the other factions so that you can see what it would have been like if you chose their side.

Evandus · November 2014

I made the attempt on my tank yesterday evening to get into groups for Undaunted Pledge dungeons. My results were as follows:

2 hours to get into a group for Banished Cells, which ultimately failed at the teleporting boss with the blue orbs.

3 hours to get into a group trying to do Banished Cells again. No result.

During this wait time I helped my kidlets with their homework, cooked dinner, and chatted with the lady of the house.

Today I loged in for 3 hours. 2 hours into waiting to get a for Elden Hollow on my dps character I found a group by being aggressive in zone chat. Still failed on the final boss. This was more due to lack of group coordination and a really impatient nightblade that kept starting fights before the group was prepared.

I like the dungeon content. And I like the pledge idea as so far it's motivating people to try out the dungeons. However I think some things might be helpful to consider for people interested in using the lfg tool:

1. Allow us to see that it's working or if it's not: Staring at a circular please wait thingy while wondering is not cool. If the tool has a couple of members and is trying to locate another, allow us to see that. It might increase patience.

2. Allow us to cue for level: If I am V14 I don't necessarily want to have to deal with a Vet2 tank for example when the mobs are scaling up to Vet12. This creates some social problems, and I've seen people get torn up in chat over not being able to handle the dungeon.

3. Provide a temporary incentive for people using the lfg tool to cue and complete dungeons: This would imo move a significant amount of people out of zone chat and into the lfg tool. More people cuing = faster group formation. People really need opportunity to see how the tool is and is not working. Currently the overwhelming majority of players avoid the tool.

That's all I've got for now. Not really enough going on yet in grouping to provide more feedback.

sagitter · November 2014

Try to test it with 4 guildmates....

Preyfar · November 2014

Here's my problems with the LFG tool:
1) I can't quite tell if it's working. When I use it, it starts a search and I never end up in a group and there seems to be no real benefit. Do I need to keep the screen up? Can I close it? There's no "Searching for groups..." notice to let me know I'm still in the queue.

I never seem to be able to find a group using it.

2) I want a "jump right in" option. There's no "throw me into a global queue" option. I'm VR14, and I just want something to do. My PVP campaign is dead, and finding something to do is hard. Spamming "DPS/Healer looking for group - any group!" doesn't seem to work. There's no simple way to just click a button and help get paired up with others.

My solution: An alert system.

Allow players to set an alert flag. I'm in game, let me flag myself as "Looking for Dungeon" or specific quests. When my friends log in the game or guild members, ESO can tell me "You have 3 friends looking for questing partners, 6 friends looking for dungeons."

When I go to guilds, let me sort by "members looking to quest/delve/dungeon". Make it easier for me to find the people I want to. Also, let me click "Find others with my flag" and let me search for other people who have that flag set, allowing an easier way to find people who have that interest as well.

Alert flags turn off when A you find a group or B you log off.

rophez_ESO · November 2014

I don't know why MMO companies don't look at what is already out there. DDO has an extremely powerful and elegant grouping tool. Seriously ZOS. It's free to play - go download it and check it out. DDO.

Tanis-Stormbinder · November 2014

Many MMO companies have had grouping issues, this is not something new. Why wasn't this problem foreseen sooner. Their is nothing more frustrating than having new content drop and not being able to enjoy it without our current issues.

Rosveen · November 2014

brandon wrote: »

Cherryblossom wrote: »

brandon wrote: »

I agree with everything you have to say except removing faction barriers. There is a reason that they are there and it wouldn't make sense story wise for them to be removed. At least not while this 3 alliance story arc is going on.

Hope this is not a spoiler, but your point is not Valid as they make all toons play every single faction, so there is no reason not to combine.

You're correct about that. However there is in fact a story reason behind that, it isn't just you randomly being allowed into their territory. When you finish your faction you are allowed to go to the other factions so that you can see what it would have been like if you chose their side.

And if you chose their side, you'd be able to group with other members of that faction, no?

OrangeTheCat · November 2014

Maybe the LFG tool is getting a "Waiting on previous request" over and over because it is not waiting the obligatory 5 seconds and not telling us about it.

helediron · November 2014

LFG should be completely replaced by LFM tool. That's how we form groups currently through zone chat and especially through guild chat. LFG is simply doing it wrong.

LonePirate · November 2014

I picked up the pledges on Monday in Deshaan around 6:00 PMEST. I launched the LFG tool and tried to join a Darkshade Caverns group to complete its pledge. I gave up after an hour of the tool spinning and doing nothing.

Either the tool is broken or nobody uses it.

glak · November 2014

ZOS needs to get a large guild involved to flex the LFG tool while in audio chat with the guild. Then to their horror will they at least find the hornets that are causing event message droppage

linus2503 · November 2014

I must say there appears to be a problem with LFG tool

Been queued as healer for V6 scaled regular daily dungeon for hours: nothing

As some point: I was already grouped with a tank, and me as a healer, and asked the LFG tool for 2 DPS: NOTHING! That seems impossible...

JessieColt · November 2014

One big issue with the change is that it is now impossible to pug the last slot that needs to be filled since you no longer have any clue what role the system is waiting to fill.

2 DPS and a Tank? Zone chat asking for a healer
2 DPS and a Healer? Zone chat asking for a Tank.

Now? dead silence.

The tool went from useful, with issues, to worthless and not even a bother.

brandon · November 2014

Rosveen wrote: »

brandon wrote: »

Cherryblossom wrote: »

brandon wrote: »

I agree with everything you have to say except removing faction barriers. There is a reason that they are there and it wouldn't make sense story wise for them to be removed. At least not while this 3 alliance story arc is going on.

Hope this is not a spoiler, but your point is not Valid as they make all toons play every single faction, so there is no reason not to combine.

You're correct about that. However there is in fact a story reason behind that, it isn't just you randomly being allowed into their territory. When you finish your faction you are allowed to go to the other factions so that you can see what it would have been like if you chose their side.

And if you chose their side, you'd be able to group with other members of that faction, no?

I don't think you're understanding what i mean. The story that is told to you when you finish your factions story is that now you can see what it would have been like in the other factions. You still can only play with people from your faction because you're still in that faction. Plus technically those other players are also in the dominion right now as well. Anyone who is in vet zones are story wise now in whatever alliance the zones are in. Again when this whole faction story comes to a close if it comes to a close, then i wouldn't have a problem with removing faction barriers.

Kungfu · November 2014

Jabber wrote: »

Please for the love of god rework the lfg tool and interface, encourage people to use it some how. Offer a 1,000g reward for completing a dungeon via the lfg tool

@ZOS_GinaBruno‌
The thought here is going in the right direction and, with a little refinement, could make the LFG tool worthwhile.

Some suggestions:

Offer an item reward for using the tool to group up. But it needs to be blue or better to be worthwhile. If purple or even yellows were even possible, a LOT more people would run and re-run dungeons just for this reward.
Is there any way to display the potential groupmates that are currently waiting with you? I realize the *group* isn't made yet, but being able to see that you have 3/4 or 2/4 might go a long way in peoples' patience waiting for the rest of the spots to fill out.

Ultimately, you NEED reasons for people to repeat dungeon runs in order to fill groups. Tanking all three dungeons three or four times each needs to be a viable way to level through a 5 or 6 level range, honestly.

That XP incentive along with an itemized reward for using the LFG tool would help a lot, IMO.

For example, in "other" games, I leveled EXCLUSIVELY in random dungeon groups. Not because it was faster but because I enjoy dungeons 1,000x more than questing. I'll tank every dungeon in the game... over... and over... and over if I get a level-appropriate reward for using the tool!

Johnny_NO_skillz · November 2014

I favor this. Either make compelling content solo, or improve grouping tools.

Tanis-Stormbinder · November 2014

Agree ^

ZOS_GinaBruno · November 2014

Just wanted to let you all know that we are currently investigating issues surrounding the LFG tool that's making it take much longer to find a group (if ever).

Johnny_NO_skillz · November 2014

ZOS_GinaBruno wrote: »

Just wanted to let you all know that we are currently investigating issues surrounding the LFG tool that's making it take much longer to find a group (if ever).

Glad to hear this Gina - def something not working with it, can't be a lack of player, evident by this thread.

Cysapper · November 2014

ZOS_GinaBruno wrote: »

Hey guys, are you seeing this issue across all selections in the LFG tool, or just certain ones (dungeons, PvE, Cyrodiil, etc.)

it's totally broken

Gillysan · November 2014

stefan.gustavsonb16_ESO wrote: »

Circuitous wrote: »

If ESO's waiting for the four roles to be filled, it really needs a display indicating that potential slots are found. You'd think even a super basic one would be rolled out with that change.

You would think the programmers tasked with creating user interface for a supposedly top tier MMO title would have at least adequate skills in UI design, but sadly, that does not seem to be the case. Almost every single 2D UI in the game is badly designed, some of them to the point of being half broken. It's as if they were haphazardly thrown together by an intern and abandoned in a half finished state.

The new group finder tool is just one example of many where the game fails to present essential information to the user. The developers seem to be constantly confusing "minimalist" with "crude" in their user interface designs.

Yep, I keep repeating the same thing except I use the words "minimalist" and "functional". Now I'm at 51 addons, although couple those are to compensate and make older addons work with 1.5.2 until the addons are fixed or adopted by new modders.

eldermpsmithrwb17_ESO · November 2014

Agreed, havent been able to find a group yet since update, rest of patch is really cool, thanks

Zandil · November 2014

should be scaling players to the dungeon, not the dungeon to the group leader, this way you pick from a bigger player base for the group, the rewards then scale to the players real world lvl.

Artilecticus · November 2014

Yesterday i was in LFG for about 6 hours. no result...

jluceyub17_ESO · November 2014

I always assumed the LFG tool didn't work because no one uses it. I just put "LFM Undaunted Dailies" in zone and guild chats and have a full group in under 5 minutes.
Friend the folks you complete dungeons with and after a few days you'll have a solid roster and will never need to use the LFG tool again. It's an MMO, make social connections, don't rely on code to do it for you.

Tanis-Stormbinder · November 2014

That's awesome that your able to log in during a peak time and spam for a group in five minutes. Not all of us are. When operating properly a LFG tool has it's place.

Nestor · November 2014

Group Finder Tool is in a Catch 22. The more people who use it, the better it would work. However a zone message "LFG xyz Dungeon" or "Anyone up for XYZ Dungeon" usually works, and works quite quickly to form a group. So, that is what most people use or look to. Since few use the tool, then fewer people find a group with it.

I keep an eye on Zone Chat to see if anyone is looking for a dungeon run or a dolmen or a boss then help out based on that.

negbert · November 2014

Yeah, I'm playing as a tank and could not get a group for low level dungeons (bizarre). I have always had a positive experience with the groups I've found using the tool before. It usually takes a while to get all 4 members though.
I like the addition of 'All' in the dungeon search but it would be better if you could search for 'All I haven't done yet'. I don't mind which dungeon I do first at the level I am at but I don't really want to repeat the ones I've already done.

loudent · November 2014

ZOS_GinaBruno wrote: »

Hey guys, are you seeing this issue across all selections in the LFG tool, or just certain ones (dungeons, PvE, Cyrodiil, etc.)

I tried with a vet 1 heal/dps looking for the regular undaunted run (selene's web) and a level 28 tank/dps looking for a regular Arx run.

I didn't try "all" because I just need the 3 for my level range. (incidentally I wish you could multi-select specific dungeons)