Araneae6537 wrote: »

I expect that players shouldn’t have a problem meeting this prerequisite — lots of people asking for and offering to help others meet this achievement, not only in guild chat, but zone chat as well.

People are gathering outside the entrance of the free house and just dropping the link in chat swapping visits. I was able to get the achievement on an alt acct w/ no friends that way.

SCarverOrne wrote: »

Honestly Kevin, while I appreciate going out of the way to try to assist players with meeting the prerequisite.... the prerequisite shouldn't exist in the first place. Every time Matt Firor gets in front of a camera, he tells us that ESO can be played in any way we want to, whether it's solo, with friends, with random players, whether it's PVE or PVP. So placing a restriction where you need to organize three other people is not "Play how you want." It's more akin to "If you want this, Play how we say." YMMV of course, and I don't expect the prerequisite to be lifted. But perhaps it's food for thought for any future promotions.

I totally agree. However it is one major way they can drive the metrics for internal reporting in the way they want them. I also don't ever see it changing. So, as my friends have for the most part quit the game, I will not be getting the "free" item.

ZOS_Kevin wrote: »

Wanted to chime in on this as there is an important point to note. The base premise is very much choose how you play. 100% Matt has noted that many times and will continue to do so. However, in the same way we provide avenues to encourage aspects of solo play, we also present avenues to encourage multiplayer play in an MMO. Encouraging differing styles of play, while sometimes can be a daunting challenge for some (I count myself among that group), can show off new ways of play to someone who may have never dabbled in multiplayer before.

Respectfully, I'm not sure if many people need or want "encouragement" of that kind? I can only speak for myself, of course, but I'm an adult person, I know my likes and dislikes, and being pushed into doing things I dislike is not an encouragement, but a nuisance. If I try out new things (which I do often, I've got over a dozen of different hobbies and tried out maybe 2 dozens more in the past 3 decades), I do so deliberately because I hear about them and find them interesting. No encouragement needed. I'm wondering how other people here feel about this topic.

Syldras wrote: »

ZOS_Kevin wrote: »

Wanted to chime in on this as there is an important point to note. The base premise is very much choose how you play. 100% Matt has noted that many times and will continue to do so. However, in the same way we provide avenues to encourage aspects of solo play, we also present avenues to encourage multiplayer play in an MMO. Encouraging differing styles of play, while sometimes can be a daunting challenge for some (I count myself among that group), can show off new ways of play to someone who may have never dabbled in multiplayer before.

Respectfully, I'm not sure if many people need or want "encouragement" of that kind? I can only speak for myself, of course, but I'm an adult person, I know my likes and dislikes, and being pushed into doing things I dislike is not an encouragement, but a nuisance. If I try out new things (which I do often, I've got over a dozen of different hobbies and tried out maybe 2 dozens more in the past 3 decades), I do so deliberately because I hear about them and find them interesting. No encouragement needed. I'm wondering how other people here feel about this topic.

I've been having a good time helping people with the event over on PCNA, but I am have mixed feelings about it, to be honest, because I understand how you feel. Part of the reason why I enjoy ESO is because it's a game that usually does not force me to participate in group activities to progress in a meaningful way. This allows me to choose when and where I engage in socially with other players. I'm quite the introvert, even though I enjoy discussion and listening to the thoughts of others.

From observation of the community, it seems to me that many of us have this in common- a lot of us play it as a solo RPG where we have the convenience of connecting with friends/other players if we wish.

My guild and I were even doing "no contact" achievements for members who have social anxiety or who do not feel comfortable playing with others (this was at the request of some members)- they could stay somewhere on their property, and 3 of us would port into the home, remain at the entrance, and not say anything or touch the house whatsoever. All that they were required to do was "x" to join the group, and "y" to confirm they received the achievement. We did our best to make it as painless as possible.

While I did not find obtaining this achievement particularly stressful for myself, I do question why a group play achievement was chosen for an event that focuses on housing. While housing can be a group activity, it is often something that most players do solo to relax, get into the headspace of their character while building, or alleviate stress. I roleplay groups and guilds often host group events, but I think most players really enjoy housing by themselves.

While I wouldn't object to being rewarded for group play again, I'd rather it be for activities that are already group-oriented anyway- such as Undaunted or PVP (with a solo option, perhaps, so people can have the choice to complete it either way?)

I just feel that such free rewards from the crown store shouldn't depend on the willing participation of another person, because some people feel really uncomfortable/feel as though they are inconveniencing others by asking for help. I do not feel this way myself, but this was a sentiment commonly expressed in my guild, and a big reason why myself and the officers made the decision to help as many people as possible- to show them that we didn't mind, and that asking for help is okay.

I think a lot of players don't really feel 'encouraged' to try social activities by such things- it's more that they want the reward, and are relieved once getting the achievement is over and they can go back to their usual play style. (But then again, there have also been some really great community moments coming out of this as well- so it's a mixed bag.)

Sorry for the long novel- your posts always get me thinking, Syldras!

TaSheen wrote: »

I don't appreciate the "pushiness", no. But I'm okay with looking at what's being pushed, laugh, say "Nope. Not only no, HELL NO!" and go do stuff I really enjoy. I'm not going to do stuff I would hate just for SOE or whatever. I don't group; I don't do group content; I don't do TG/DB crime (eww). And "achievements" are of zero interest to me, so no, I don't do things out of my normal gameplay just because "there's an achievement for that".
I've been playing CRPGs since 1985; and MMOs since 2005. There are RAFTS of things in these games that I know I won't ever bother with, and there's not enough "incentive" in this universe to get me to mess with them.

I mostly ignore the things I dislike, too. It's no problem for me not to get the daily or weekly seals of endeavor and such. What I'm generally questioning though, is the idea that adult people need encouragement to try out an activity in a game. Not sure if my mindset differs from that of the majority, but it's clear for me what I like and what I dislike, and what interests me and what not, and that sentiment won't change just because someone tries to lure me with some bonus. And even if I decide to do something I find rather boring or bothersome because I really want said bonus, it won't make me suddenly like the disliked activity, but I'll just try to get it done as fast as possible and then never do it again. So what's the use of it?

ArchangelIsraphel wrote: »

My guild and I were even doing "no contact" achievements for members who have social anxiety or who do not feel comfortable playing with others (this was at the request of some members)- they could stay somewhere on their property, and 3 of us would port into the home, remain at the entrance, and not say anything or touch the house whatsoever. All that they were required to do was "x" to join the group, and "y" to confirm they received the achievement. We did our best to make it as painless as possible.

That's awesome! I often had the impression that with those attempts to "encourage" doing multiplayer content, ZOS fails to understand how truly difficult this can be for some people. I'm not even suffering from anxiety (I'm just a natural born hermit who enjoys doing stuff on his own for days and weeks and gets cranky if someone disturbs his peace If I feel like interacting with someone, I'll do it, but I don't want any "encouragement" if I'm not in the mood for that), but even for me, every achievement, event or endeavor that requires interacting with random people (and of course, is usually a limited-time opportunity) feels annoying immediately.

ArchangelIsraphel wrote: »

I think a lot of players don't really feel 'encouraged' to try social activities by such things- it's more that they want the reward, and are relieved once getting the achievement is over and they can go back to their usual play style.

Exactly. I got it done today (Thanks again to Ilumia and the guildies who joined in, in case you read this!), and it was a very friendly and helpful contact I'm really grateful for, but still, it doesn't change anything about my preference to spend my playtime in ESO with rather limited human interaction.

DP99 wrote: »

Araneae6537 wrote: »

I expect that players shouldn’t have a problem meeting this prerequisite — lots of people asking for and offering to help others meet this achievement, not only in guild chat, but zone chat as well.

Yeah, I did that yesterday, and no one was around in three different zones of asking for visits. And these were usually populated zones. Could've just been a bad time or an off day, but you can't really rely on things like that to complete something like this.

Sorry to hear that! Last call I answered for visitors, there were like seven other people there when I showed up! I’m sure there are some times of day it will be more difficult to find people, and probably depends on the server too.

I like events that encourage community interaction and working toward a goal, maybe doing a new activity as well, like the Necrom event, which was the first time I’d done Bastion Nymic. This event has introduced many people to how to set their permission settings at least, for if they do ever want to have an open house

That said, I don’t wish for anyone to feel left out or excluded by the requirement. It does not require grouping, if that is a specific dislike or anxiety trigger. I got the achievement some time ago when I put an invite in guild chat for people to view one of my estates. I am happy to see that guilds are helping members get the achievement in ways they feel most comfortable.

I read this and decided to have a go at getting three people in my (empty) house. I asked in guild chat and zone chat and random whispering outside my house. It took an hour and a half to get 3 people, mainly due to my lack of knowledge. And difficulty typing using the Xbox controller (it was so easy to communicate through chat on PC).

I also found that of you are in your house you can just send out a general message that invites people to your house through zone/guild chat.

I have the Party Planner achievement, but Miraso doesn't show in the Crown Store.

ZOS_Kevin wrote: »

SCarverOrne wrote: »

ZOS_Kevin wrote: »

Wanted to chime in on this as there is an important point to note. The base premise is very much choose how you play. 100% Matt has noted that many times and will continue to do so. However, in the same way we provide avenues to encourage aspects of solo play, we also present avenues to encourage multiplayer play in an MMO. Encouraging differing styles of play, while sometimes can be a daunting challenge for some (I count myself among that group), can show off new ways of play to someone who may have never dabbled in multiplayer before. These are all healthy to keep make sure players have a chance to experience different possible ways to play, and hopefully they find it fun!

I enjoy the solo-part of ESO very much and yet, I enjoy the occasional 4-person PUG for a dungeon run. ESO should not lose these principles. It's a solo-friendly MMO. I really like that concept. Fallout76, when it launched, was too empty because the focus was on solo play on a vast canvas. I don't think I will be able to survive that loneliness!