Rebalancing making a hard push for teaming over solo?

[Xephonics]

Is it just me or are the new changes seemingly making it harder to solo stuff for most profs?

Now I could understand doing these changes in this game's hayday, but when the population is so low, why would the devs think it is best to nerf profs so they need to team more? It makes no sense making people on a low population game NEED to team.

This is just speculation on my part, but as I keep reading more and more prof "rebalancing" documents/discussions, it really seems like FC is pushing for teaming pretty hard. And like I said before, you need a population to actually get teams...

[Hellrule]

bump

[Neista]

Agree 100%

That phrase about 'We are not discouraging soloing we are Encouraging teaming' is pure politican BS speech.

If ever there was a time FC shouldnt make soloing harder its now.

[Xephonics]

I mean I am fine with teaming, but seriously, you need other people to team with, and they are getting fewer and fewer.

This game is good because you can be viable doing either, but the rebalancing seems to be pushing very hard to make you team when there is nobody to team with half the time.

[borriss]

This game is already far to reliant on teaming to do various things... Like for example leveling. This game should develop a decent rate of leveling solo, that doesn't feel like an impossible to overcome struggle.

Other than that, I also like very much to run solo doing various stuff. Hope they won't fudge that up.

[Ashes2Ashes]

I agree with the OP, but what are the Devs supposed to do. You got one half, or at least it seems on the forums asking for pvm to not be so /afk easy. While the rest of us, would like to keep it status quo. While I do agree to some extent, that pvm can be dead easy... but that is only with the perfect base, Tank, Crat, Doc. What happens when you have a not so optimal team, then its not so easy.

When you get to solo play, with our pvm getting hit with a bit of a nerf, it becomes troublesome. I agree with higher population, most of this would be a moot point. But meh, what to do ya know? They seem stuck between a rock and a hard place.

[Mekh]

Assuming that the new engine, re-balancing and the intended advertising when those two have arrived, will be able to draw in some blood.... Making PvM harder will probably be for the better with respect to requiring, or at least making a team desirable.


Anyway... I don't mind if PvM in general get's somewhat harder.

It's to the point now that even non-Q/afk professions can Q/afk most of the content in AO.


EDIT:
Also remember...
Whatever they do to make PvM harder now you will still be able to solo... Just not the same mobs as before, or with as crappy equipment as before.

[Xephonics]

Assuming that the new engine, re-balancing and the intended advertising when those two have arrived, will be able to draw in some blood.... Making PvM harder will probably be for the better with respect to requiring, or at least making a team desirable.


Anyway... I don't mind if PvM in general get's somewhat harder.

It's to the point now that even non-Q/afk professions can Q/afk most of the content in AO.


EDIT:
Also remember...
Whatever they do to make PvM harder now you will still be able to solo... Just the same mobs as before, or with as crappy equipment as before.

I'm all for getting new blood, i LOVE this game, it has helped me through some serious stuff IRL, and I would hate to see it die due to lack of income.

The new changes will work fine IF the people come, but before they do, it will probably suck for a while :P

Please don't get me wrong, I was raised on teaming in this game (started playing in 2002). Like teaming up at low lvls to kill the bridge bullies, or doing the static dungeons in mort. It was GREAT back in the day, and I ended up with some really great friends I still talk to. I wish it could be the same way, where you could get a team up quickly, and get buffs quickly, and have to have 60 people trying hard to kill the mercs.

But w/o a population to support it, pushing teaming on the players will be a tough sell.

I realize they are trying to better the game, and I truly hope the upcoming changes bring a swell of people. This game is hands down one of the best out there.

[Radia]

This game should develop a decent rate of leveling solo, that doesn't feel like an impossible to overcome struggle.

Other than that, I also like very much to run solo doing various stuff. Hope they won't fudge that up.

Between daily missions and DOJA chips, I really can't see anyone having any issues levelling solo at the moment.

Please do bear in mind, when thinking about soloing, that a fair number of these changes are aimed at balancing the different professions. Some professions simply aren't as good at soloing as others - the whole "we don't want to have to team to do this" means that some activities become impossible for some professions who can't do it on their own and require a team for it.

For example - anyone playing a fixer, when was the last time you killed Lord of the Void?

[Xephonics]

Between daily missions and DOJA chips, I really can't see anyone having any issues levelling solo at the moment.

Please do bear in mind, when thinking about soloing, that a fair number of these changes are aimed at balancing the different professions. Some professions simply aren't as good at soloing as others - the whole "we don't want to have to team to do this" means that some activities become impossible for some professions who can't do it on their own and require a team for it.

For example - anyone playing a fixer, when was the last time you killed Lord of the Void?

Looking at the fixer nano changes, I really doubt it will help them kill LotV. All I saw were a bunch of nerfs (hot nerfs, root nerfs, etc). It more seems like an across the board gimpage, instead of an evening out.

[borriss]

Between daily missions and DOJA chips, I really can't see anyone having any issues levelling solo at the moment.

Please do bear in mind, when thinking about soloing, that a fair number of these changes are aimed at balancing the different professions. Some professions simply aren't as good at soloing as others - the whole "we don't want to have to team to do this" means that some activities become impossible for some professions who can't do it on their own and require a team for it.

For example - anyone playing a fixer, when was the last time you killed Lord of the Void?

"Daily mishs" are exactly that, daily... Which sucks, if you want to level your character quickly and not spend 2 years doing dailies.

[Amickson]

Between daily missions and DOJA chips, I really can't see anyone having any issues levelling solo at the moment.

Maybe you playing another AO than me. Leveling with daily missions only probably take atleast a year. From level 100+ is much faster group leveling and solo leveling after 150 is almost impossible. Getting SK solo (200+) is practical only for NT's kiting the spirit room who cannot get team.
Let's list what can 220 player do solo (not hunting grey mobs):
- ai ground farms, boring as hell, 30 mins every 2 hours
- arid rift, no reward at all (and no, axp isn't reward)
- rk dynas, with nanos coming from db/apf obsolete
- sl dynas (inferno), pocket bosses useless due xan symbs, items almost all obsolete.
- high RK bosses - all loot obsolete
Some of this content wasn't originally designed to solo, but is soloable now.
In the last years developers designed only team/raid content, not a single high end solo encounter. Upcoming sec7 is the same - team alien instance.
This game is hugely team oriented, some solo pvm love will be much appreciated.

[Neista]

Imo FC should get the engine out and have people rejoining the game before they start thinking of nerfing the solo experience, or they may find that they have no playerbase left by the time it does.

Priority should be Engine followed by Rebalance or both together, not leaving us stuck with a rebalance against solo and no new players to fill the teams with.

[Radia]

Maybe you playing another AO than me. Leveling with daily missions only probably take atleast a year. From level 100+ is much faster group leveling and solo leveling after 150 is almost impossible. Getting SK solo (200+) is practical only for NT's kiting the spirit room who cannot get team.

Maybe I am. Each daily mission seems to be giving around 1 level's worth of XP at level 100 ish. Each DOJA chip also gives around the same. In about a week, I can get around 20 levels. That's not a lot of time investment, especially compared to a year ago before dailies, DOJA chips and every other quest line added since 18.0. Compared to group levelling, that is nothing. It doesn't mean that solo levelling has been neglected, however.

Since returning to the game, I'm actually quite impressed by how much Funcom have added that's not team-only content. That doesn't mean they should only go for solo content - as a single player game, I have to say, this MMO sucks. That's not a criticism aimed at Funcom - no MMO should play well as a solo game, or it would be too intimidating to level and do group content.

[-Klod-]

The horror. Favoring teaming over soloing in the MMO.

And I can't believe people actually crying that solo leveling is hard today. O_O

[Xephonics]

wait till 200+, dailies are..... slow lol. But it is better than sitting in inf waiting on a team for 2 days....

[Xephonics]

The horror. Favoring teaming over soloing in the MMO.

And I can't believe people actually crying that solo leveling is hard today. O_O

Well, if you are referring to me, then you need to learn to read. I said it would be fine to push teaming IF there was a player population to support teaming. And I was not refering to today, I was talking about after the proposed changes (i.e. lots of profs are getting nerfed pretty hard in relation to being able to solo)

but if you were not refering to me, then... well i dont have a response since u were not talking to me lol

[borriss]

The horror. Favoring teaming over soloing in the MMO.

And I can't believe people actually crying that solo leveling is hard today. O_O

This is silly, in all other or close to all other MMORPG's you can solo level quite well... Teaming is only needed for dungeons and other stuff where you are rewarded slight XP gain and awesome items.

If WoW were team leveling only, I bet only half of the people would actually ever make it to 80(85 soon)... Because it would SUCK. Just as leveling in AO currently does...

[-Klod-]

This is silly, in all other or close to all other MMORPG's you can solo level quite well... Teaming is only needed for dungeons and other stuff where you are rewarded slight XP gain and awesome items.

If WoW were team leveling only, I bet only half of the people would actually ever make it to 80(85 soon)... Because it would SUCK. Just as leveling in AO currently does...

Leveling in AO has never been easier then it is today, at least for the favored professions.

The fact that it's extremely boring, is another story.

[Xephonics]

Leveling in AO has never been easier then it is today, at least for the favored professions.

The fact that it's extremely boring, is another story.

I dont see how it is boring, plenty of ways to lvl: rk missions, dynas, wilderness killing, sl, dailies, bs daily, doja, etc.

I enjoy leveling, and truly enjoy all the options. I just don't see the reason for a rebalance that presses teaming IF THERE ARE NO DAMN PPL TO TEAM WITH.