Massively Single Player, Part 1

[Ryuk2]

I played as hunter in WoW and tried to do anything alone. Well, Hunter is probably the easiest class of them all, i'm just standing in front of a trap and pressing 1,2,3,4,5,6 to shoot at my enemies while my pet bites them.
When i had 10 quests that i can't do alone, i was just standing in front of that quest and waiting somebody to kill monsters, making it easier for me.
If somebody came up to me and asked if i need help, i wanted to say ''Fuck off!'', but instead i just say ''..ok..''.
I really don't want to babysit weaker players, i don't need any help from stronger players, i'm not going to team up with other people to kill hordes/alliance guys and i surely don't want a guild so i could share my items.
I want an MMORPG game where there is auctions, raids, parties, guilds and stuff like that, but you could go around alone, sell your stuff in auction and become a god that can go inside an enemy base and kill all the weak players.

 

[Aegwadar]

Great article. Rarely is the solo aspect addressed. I thought the "casual" gamer reference was right on the money. Instead of sinking a bunch of time into a group, I prefer to lone wolf it. Taking missions in stride and mainly picking up a clan to just chat with.

LOL, Didn't know they had the term Pickup Group. When you get tired of solo missions, or feel masochistic, pick-up a group.. I like it. LOL.

Fallen Earth has made a great strides in supporting the casual, lone-wolf, self-entertaining MMO player. Oh, and can't forget EVE.

 

[Booze Zombie]

Honestly?
I just don't like playing games with people that much, because I'm used to Xbox live where your fun quotient equals how much you make the other guy suffer.

I'm skeptical that PC players would be any better, if my experienc in Face Of Mankind is anything to go by.

 

[Mordwyl]

People are assholes. From experience forcing players to group up for progress was never a great idea to begin with. Considering the surge in popularity for games such as World of Warcraft and Runescape, with the latter putting an emphasis on solo play, it's no surprise people love playing at their own pace instead of being dragged into playing with others that may make their playing experience worse.

 

[Sneaklemming]

It's the move from actual multiplayer to solo mmo's that puts me off WoW and Champions online etc. I want team based action.

I played wow for a while and it really just seemed like a very large but very mediocre RPG rather than a living world, inhabited by players.

Anyone I met just seemed to be running around the place constantly, whizzing past my screen.

This was also true of Champions online; just loads of randoms; and sometimes shared quests which played exactly the same cept there was a leaderboard at the end...

Then I found Eve Online. A real MMO. The Space that players live in is maintained, developed, and secured by players. The markets and economy is player driven. The wars and conflicts are player driven. And to survive in the game you must play with others.

 

[ItsAPaul]

Well I never did instances unless I was bored out of my mind while leveling. It's much faster to just solo quest and all that, and I guarantee no one I know wants to level a new class the exact time I do.

Now if you're level capped and want to play solo, then yes you're a bit weird. Technically you've beaten the game at that point if all you do is solo.

 

[Jaqen Hghar]

-snip-

(love the name by the way )

I am also one of you. But I just get tired if I have to be social at all. Which makes it a hassle to join a group. I am also afraid of holding someone back, or irritating them, thus playing in groups is often very stressing. I cannot stay back and use my own tactics, I cannot stop to read what a new item does, I cannot do things on my own time and terms. Because the others in the group usually push on forward. I am also not that good in writing fast in the chatbox of these games, so I tend to not talk much. I can write fast, but not correct. And I aim to write correctly

The only MMO I really play is Champions Online. I have played in a group now and then, when I have to, but it has never been more enjoyable than playing alone. If I could I would most likely play that game all by myself all the way through. Why? As you said, the allure of a massive world where others can see your character and what you do. If Champions Online was just Champions, without the online part, I would still buy it because of the crazy amounts of customization, but it is an added "perk" that you can show off the characters you make.

I am a Singleplayer by heart, and the only reason I put up with a multiplayer portion is if it is insanely fun (TF2) or if there are no other options (Champions Online) or if I have a brother or a friend playing the MP portion of the game (Brutal Legend)

 

[BlueInkAlchemist]

While it's true that some MMOGs have an extremely high ratio of jerkasses to good people, there are occasions when being logged into one is the best thing you can do [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_192/5835-The-MMOG-Connection].

 

[Dogstile]

I got to the bit about hunters being a casual class and was just like

I mean, i took out /warlocks/ with that thing, and warlocks are stupidly easy to play as in pvp.

That's funny considering they are the worst pvp class in the game.

I played WoW solo.

All I wanted to do in that game was explore the vast and beutiful world.
Its just a shame to survive in some of those places I have to grind levels...

If you have to grind levels in WoW, You're doing it wrong.

It isn't actually so hard to play as a hunter in PVP. Survival hunters are grossly underestimated.

 

[Nalgas D. Lemur]

To me, endgame raids are a terrible experience that I don't want to repeat ever again. By the time I reach the levelcap in any game, people know whatever the endgame in that particular game is by heart and just rush on. Yeah, in the right guild you'll get an explanation, but nobody takes time anymore. I like to enjoy the scenery, the fights, the quests, not the rush to the final boss and the bickering over loot afterwards.

That sounds a lot like me. Then to go a step farther than that, once I've figured out that stuff and explored it on my own, if I go along with other people who haven't done it yet, I'll intentionally pretend to not know what's going on so they can figure it out for themselves, too. Even if I know it's going to get us all killed, I'll go along with whatever ridiculous strategy they want to try, just because it's fun to see what people come up with.

Unfortunately the people who actually want to do that seem to be turning into a smaller and smaller fraction of the gaming population over time. Now you have people running around with add-ons/plug-ins that pretty much let you put the game on autopilot and never have to read the quest text or solve anything on your own, which makes me kind of sad. Their choice, though, I guess.

 

[JIst00]

Its probably been reiterated many times, but grouping means dealing with the idiots that unfortunately infest life in general, and people still use gaming as escapism so stay solo to avoid them.

And I tend to do the same recently. Ive got a Healadin and DK at the cap, and have run out of want to brave the ignorant, impolite and obnoxious to get gear from riads etc. PUGing can be horrendous, tho it can be better too, depends on the group.

Either way, Ive re rolled a hunter. Its easy to solo, ive always got a companion, and they dont answer back and the whole thing with hunters is that they survive alone in the wild. Which is what ive done, only going to cities to learn new skills, and even then Ive got trade and general off. Its nice to just unwind and play through the game, see whats over that next hill and just enjoying the zones as they were ment to be, instead of zipping through them with questhelper and leveling as fast as possible. Im doing rep grinds ive never bothered with, and Im gonna aim for the "Seeker" title as well as the "Exalted", and basically achievment hunt. And when I hit 80... well I dont think im gonna be as quick to join the gear race again.

So sometimes soloing just has the greater appeal.

 

[targren]

Any of you obscure game lovers know of games playable start-to-end by 2 people (or 2 people + AI like Guild Wars)? Free or subscription is fine (though free is always better, of course)

LotRo, Conan and Warhammer are free to play but need subs to complete.

Of the three at the moment, I'd pick LotRo, almost purely because of Monster Mode and it's so damn pretty.

Conan is nice but it's very linear. Same with Warhammer.

City of Heroes/Villains is always lovely though. A Blaster/Scrapper:Tank or Mastermind/Stalker team should kick ass while still being a scream to play.

If you're into retro, a new EQ update is coming out soon; and EQ2, despite its flaws is still the most pretty, evocative, well-made world ever.

Sorry, I wasn't clear... I'm looking for something like GW or the old Phantasy Star Online, where the world is instanced and I don't have to have my girlfriend subjected to the jerks that feel that it's a personal mission for them to support John Gabriel's Greater Internet Fuckwad Theory... A few instanced dungeons here and there isn't quite sufficient.

 

[RatRace123]

I think the main reason MMOs have single players is mainly because MMOs often have premises so different than that of normal games.

I've never seen a single player super hero game where you play as an original hero, not Spidey or Bats. City of Heroes/Champions online have what we want for all of our hero fantasies. This premise would work as a standard game.

I'm pretty sure if Blizzard took out the MMO part of WoW and repackaged it for consoles as single player RPG they'd make a(n even greater) fortune.

The next installment of the KotOR series is an MMO. Despite the game having a huge story and NPC companions, you could package this as KotOR 3 without the MMO part.


It's unforunate for people like me (anti social game players who don't want other people ruining their game playing time) that all the best ideas and worlds we'd love to explore, are populated with other human beings... who smell.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Sorry, I wasn't clear... I'm looking for something like GW or the old Phantasy Star Online, where the world is instanced and I don't have to have my girlfriend subjected to the jerks that feel that it's a personal mission for them to support John Gabriel's Greater Internet Fuckwad Theory... A few instanced dungeons here and there isn't quite sufficient.

I tend to play cute girl characters and I've never had any hassle on them

 

[Jared]

Solo play sometims can be better than been with the groups (Who, at times can be very annoying...)

But, alot of developers are working more on the single player action now and its getting to be a little sad...soon,. no one will need anyone, and, it will all turn into real life

 

[Shadeovblack]

I can't talk, I need to go play COH now.

 

[rosseloh]

This article makes me very sad for the state of MMOS. The whole point is the end game content, not the leveling, that's where the interesting groups happen. People solo in MMOS mostly because it's easier and more efficient if you know how to level better than your likely groups. You get to the end game faster and then you group up for raids.

I've done this in every MMO I've played because compared to a good end game the grind is a boring waste of time. The grouping later is what makes the soloing worth it.

You obviously don't play LotRO. The leveling IS the game here. End-game stuff is fun, but not nearly as big a deal as other MMOs make it. And, that's just how I like it.

 

[mshcherbatskaya]

There's another obstacle to ongoing group play that I didn't see mentioned. In order to play together, you have to be the same level range, you have to STAY the same level range, you have to have the same schedule, you have to need to do the same quests, and you need to have the same in-game priorities.

I've tried to group up with people I know who play, but we have about 15 minutes where we can actually form a proper group and then the sheer dynamics of the game pull us apart. Everything in my quest queue is has already been completed by the friend I play with on the most regular basis. Why? Because he concentrated on quests and battlegrounds and I spent a lot of time leveling all my professions and non-combat skills as I went.

Seriously, I can't find someone who has the same priorities, schedule, and objectives IRL and that has a much bigger subscriber base than any MMO.

That's how I end up playing mostly by myself, a little with strangers, and chatting a lot with friends and guildies. I haven't hit end-game content yet.

Oh, and there is one aspect of the game that I haven't seen mentioned - the economy. You can play the economy as an aspect of the game, just like anything else. One acquaintence is, I think, a stock trader at heart. The auction house is his favorite dungeon.

 

[Cavouku]

He's right about the big game thing. I mean, am I the only one who found Dragon Age to be too short?

I'm serious. I'm restarting the game now, and I'm going to shell out for the Downloadable Content.

There is of course that one, you're right Shamus. Though I don't know what side of the fence you're looking from, but as everyone else here will tell you; there are a lot of dicks online. Or, if you're lucky, you just can't tell when they suddenly have to leave to go shopping with nanny. Maybe they're in a different continent and they just happened to be awake at 4 in the morning, 7pm for you.

And really, there's not enough compulsion to make me want to play in groups anyways. The point is, I can play fine by myself, and I can't depend on other people as much as I should have to for this.

Someday they'll invent a mechanic for getting people to team up other than raids. Maybe operating some machine robot thing, or a symphony orchestra, or a chamber of horrors, I don't know.

All I know is that I can get the job done better if someone isn't wasting all the bloody loot they got on stylish hats.