For some it means playing the game with 3 other people.

For others it means playing the game in the company of thousands of other people.

Even those who solo 100% of the time are interacting in many different ways with the other people playing the game.

Even those who group 100% of the time are sitting alone at a computer.

Personally, I think the best MMOs offer choice. If you want to consider a MMO as an evolutionary extension of a single-player RPG then that's fine, that's your choice. If, on the other hand, you want to consider a MMO as a part of your social life and spend the whole time chatting and grouping with your friends then that's fine too, that's also your choice. The sensible developers offer content to all playstyles be it solo or group, crafting, housing decorator, PvE or PvP etc.

The bottom line is that we all contribute to the success of a game, both by the mere fact of logging in as well as by the contributions we make when doing so regardless of our chosen playstyle.

A LFG tool should only be of interest to someone looking for a PUG, and they went out of fashion many MMOs ago. An effective guild of like-minded players supplemented by a friends list are all the LFG tools a regular grouper should need in a MMO. Unfortunately, most of the guilding in this game is done by way of a substitute for a half-decent trading system rather than as a means for players to advance through the game together.

How to define todays version of MMO's?

• Make it easy enough for any one to complete
• Hide 95% desireable content or pixels behind a pay wall
• Make sure the 5% thats obtainable is behind 100's if not 1000 hours of gameplay to unlock
• Bypass all those hours by the cash shop
• Make sure you put out the smallest amount of content possible to keep profits high

Zorrashi wrote: »

MMO=Massively Multiplayer Online
Basically a game where there a tons of people--well--online. Basically a game with a player population besides just you.

Naturally they tend to develop trends toward socialization, teamwork and the like but nowhere does it say that an MMO must have group content only. Grouping is totally fine, solo is totally fine, mixing and matching is totally fine. Niether are inherently bad.
All that is left after that is the matter of player demand. Demand that, in this game in particular, does significantly lean toward solo content as well as group content.

MMOs can be for more than just for groupers, you know.

This ^^^^^^

MM0's offer a lot of chances for social activity outside of just grouping, crafting trading, role play if your into that, once upon a time mmo communities were a tight bunch and had in game parties and events sometimes the company could add things to help the player driven events. I just think a lot of things have changed through the years people just don't seem to be as social as they used to be in an age where we are surrounded by social media.

kalimar44 wrote: »

So play ESO if you like groups with some solo stuff, or play a single player rpg if your all about just soloing.

Wow wow wow, not so fast! I play ESO because it's an Elder Scrolls game. It happens that it's also an MMO, so I do with it and try to make it the more solo I can.

Just because it's a Massive Multiplayer Online game, MMO shouldn't stand for Must Manage Others.

Just as I feel that players shouldn't be forced to solo (what's up with that?!?) I don't think people should be forced to group. All dungeons should have group and solo instances. The only... I repeat... the ONLY part of ESO that should "require" multiplayer is PVP, for obvious reasons.

Callous2208 wrote: »

It is how you say and always has been. Unfortunately we live in a time where no one wants to group or be social and help each other out. They want to research and copy the best build that someone else has mastered, and faceroll all content. Ironically these same folks will then label the game "too easy, "and move on to the next. When group content or challenge is presented, they gnash their teeth and bemoan that everything is too hard and should be easily solo'd.

These people, it's no mystery where they come from. You sharpen the human appetite to the point where it can split atoms with its desire, you build egos the size of cathedrals, fiber-optically connect the world to every eager impulse, grease even the dullest dreams with these dollar-green, gold plated fantasies until every human becomes an aspiring emperor, becomes his own god

Advocate of the Devil

The Problem with the all Multiplayer games not just MMO is that the Majority of the people like to lone wolf content rather than group. Then you may be wandering "Why play a multiplayer game?" Well the majority use the "Multiplayer" aspect to trade/sell goods, socialize, brag about gear and trophies ect,ect. not saying this is everyone just most.

Look at dungeons/ Multiplayer content now days. In old MMO, WoW for example, it was 40 man raids where you had to chat and socialize to form groups. And over the 10+ years they had to slim it down further and further to where it is minimum 10 man groups. And they had to add LFR a auto queue system because only a very low percentage was actually experiencing end game content. And other MMO have completely done away with the manual group system and everything even the hardest tiers are auto random queues. Some MMO and Multiplayer done away with it completely and you can solo all content and grouping is optional.

Some people would call the majority casuals and some hardcore gamers would even go so far as to say they do not belong in a MMO/ Multiplayer platform. But the lone wolf resides in us all. Take the game Brink for example. It was a FPS game where teamwork was Mandatory and you had to work together to accomplish anything. And it failed big time. Then look at BF / COD. These games are completely teamwork optional and lone wolf friendly. And these games Thrive.

As for myself I am very guilty of the Lone wolf attitude. I play MMO like I play any Single player game by myself. But on the other hand I do enjoy the socializing part of it and the in game economy. Not to say that I don't join groups because I do, But it is only because I have to, If there was a option to solo I would choose that over groups almost every time.

Ok my rant is over. Please do not hate on me too hard and have a good day.

Gidorick wrote: »

Just because it's a Massive Multiplayer Online game, MMO shouldn't stand for Must Manage Others.

Just as I feel that players shouldn't be forced to solo (what's up with that?!?) I don't think people should be forced to group. All dungeons should have group and solo instances. The only... I repeat... the ONLY part of ESO that should "require" multiplayer is PVP, for obvious reasons.

I dunno, Gid... a lot of players might want solo PVP.

lordrichter wrote: »

Gidorick wrote: »

Just because it's a Massive Multiplayer Online game, MMO shouldn't stand for Must Manage Others.

Just as I feel that players shouldn't be forced to solo (what's up with that?!?) I don't think people should be forced to group. All dungeons should have group and solo instances. The only... I repeat... the ONLY part of ESO that should "require" multiplayer is PVP, for obvious reasons.

I dunno, Gid... a lot of players might want solo PVP.

This gave me quite the laugh. Thanks for that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6RoHBJj3SQ

Zorrashi wrote: »

MMO=Massively Multiplayer Online
Basically a game where there a tons of people--well--online. Basically a game with a player population besides just you.

Naturally they tend to develop trends toward socialization, teamwork and the like but nowhere does it say that an MMO must have group content only. Grouping is totally fine, solo is totally fine, mixing and matching is totally fine. Niether are inherently bad.
All that is left after that is the matter of player demand. Demand that, in this game in particular, does significantly lean toward solo content as well as group content.

MMOs can be for more than just for groupers, you know.

Nailed it! Have a .

Younalsi have to remember a lot of players are coming from previous, solo, elder scroll titles, so some people come here wanting solo and to play elder scrolls like the previous titles, a solo game, not a social group game like this one is supposed to be

kalimar44 wrote: »

To me it means Mulit Player Online. So why are most of you surprised when they add stuff to the game that requires a group of people to do. This is a MMO people not a single player game. I want a MMO to have a challenge and kick my butt some times. I guess I'm old school MMO player here that came from Everquest.

So play ESO if you like groups with some solo stuff, or play a single player rpg if your all about just soloing.

It's not a debatable meaning you know, mmo stands for Massively multiplayer online.

But that does not mean you have to group up in PVE content. As far as I'm concerned besides a few end game dungeons/raids everything should be able to be done by myself solo. That is not to say there should not be content for people that do. The more players the better, so better to cater for ALL!

I don't play mmo's to come and challenge myself against AI, although I have nothing against people that do. But as far as I'm concerned such play will never be a challenge for me. It's just a case of number crunching, then I get frustrated because someone in the group can't play, or can't crunch the numbers. Maybe one day this will change but we are nowhere near that yet.

I come to test my skills in a PVP environment, the rest of the game is just a stepping stone for me to do that. So basically don't tell me what to do and I won't tell you what to do, but if all the game is based around group content before I can start to PVP then of course I will moan about it.

If you want a real challenge come and PVP.

RizaHawkeye wrote: »

Hmmm ... maybe this will help you understand:

Conclusions:

Only women with long red hair play for group content.
Women with shorter and darker hair do not.
Apparently eye color is not an issue.