GW2: Single Player MMO?

Daniel434

Daniel434

New Member
After reading through a long thread I found this post:

I played for maybe two hours and I was monumentally bored. I couldn't really put my finger on why, though. So I sought enlightenment in the pulsating veins of the internet. I didn't have to seek for long. The very first thing that popped up was:

"Guild Wars 2 is a single player MMO".

I said to myself, what? That can't be right. But as you all know, I'm certainly not one to reject an idea out of hand. So I read on. The poster argued that the ad hoc grouping system, which I up to this point thought of as one of the strong points of GW2, actually is worse than formal grouping. Since anyone boost everyone else without having to actually interact with them, the game becomes entirely momentary and there is nothing that form a persistent bond between you and any other player. At this point I had to agree with him, it was the same thing that I had said before; that GW2 felt like you were playing side by side with people instead of together with them..
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Read the full post here: http://guildwars.incgamers.com/foru...a-July-20-22&p=5789379&viewfull=1#post5789379 (debate ensues, it's interesting)

This post struck me because while I thoroughly enjoyed GW2 and thought it better than any other MMO I have played -- I did feel as if many times you were just alone in the world and people would only gather for world events and when finished scatter away, even if you stopped and tried to chat them up.

Granted, I only played for a couple of days and since it's beta, everyone is trying to test out new features and there's not a lot of time for socializing because of the length of the beta. But the one gripe I did have was that nearly every quest I completed, I did myself and many times it would be nice to have some help. I guess this is what guilds are for. :P Also, we didn't get to level our characters far enough to go to more challenging area's that may require seeking out a party and we didn't get to experience dungeons which require a party.

I guess the question is: Did anyone else feel they were playing solo? If so, was it because of the limits due to it being in beta?
 
The only time I grouped up was for WvW. Which was fantastically fun! However, for PvE I solo'd almost exclusively. Anet has always said that GW2 would be "soloable" save for the dungeons, should players choose to. Personally, I really like the free feeling as am able to delve into my character and move at my own pace. However, I love being able to be a part of guild chat and seeing other players around me. And for the end-game content I definitely will be teaming up with guildies and PUGs to tackle those.

The beginning areas are also going to be easier than other areas, I'm assuming that once we get into the mid-level stuff teaming up will be more and more convenient. This was true for GW1. Ascalon was pretty easy with henchmen, but once we got to the desert and Southern Shiverpeaks a team was necessary (this was pre heroes)
 
Stc95 said:
The only time I grouped up was for WvW. Which was fantastically fun! However, for PvE I solo'd almost exclusively. Anet has always said that GW2 would be "soloable" save for the dungeons, should players choose to. Personally, I really like the free feeling as am able to delve into my character and move at my own pace. However, I love being able to be a part of guild chat and seeing other players around me. And for the end-game content I definitely will be teaming up with guildies and PUGs to tackle those.

The beginning areas are also going to be easier than other areas, I'm assuming that once we get into the mid-level stuff teaming up will be more and more convenient. This was true for GW1. Ascalon was pretty easy with henchmen, but once we got to the desert and Southern Shiverpeaks a team was necessary (this was pre heroes)
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Yea, you make some excellent points that I cannot argue. I also am sort of a "loner" many times and do prefer my own pace. Other times I can get frustrated with lack of people around. I guess I'm sort of Bi-Polar when it comes to MMO's, heh. Sometimes I prefer the world to be empty if it could be and others I wish there was at least 3 people around me at all times, lol.

In fact, I've been a fan of Diablo since the very first one and one of the reasons I loved the game was the ability to play solo without losing a step (mostly) and I loved to do mindless grinding many times while ignoring everything else. Diablo 3 was just a terrible experience for me and I'm really dissapointed. This is why I pre-ordered GW2 even though the only GW1 I played was "factions" and I hated GW1 gameplay. I hope they can "fix" what is wrong with Diablo 3 but at the same time, if they do, I'll have a hard time juggling both games.

EDIT: Oh, I did make two friends in the closing hours of the beta and that was re-assuring. One was from Brazil, and the other a Canadian.
 
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Compared to my time in MMOs like SWTOR (1-50) and WoW (1-85 Shaman, DK to 85), I would respond with a resounding no. In WoW I saw maybe ten horde characters and very little players in my quests areas (most were max level in cities). In SWTOR, I went about my business as usual, did story missions, and maybe threw out a heal or ten when I saw other players. I could help DPS a champion-level mob to help a guy out, but I would get no EXP from it, so most of the time I left people to their own business. I'm not knocking those games, but that's my experience with them, it was me against the NPCs mobs unless I queued up for dungeons (for selfish reasons: to get gear and EXP) or did PVP (for EXP/credits). I saw other players around me but I didn't interact with them much at all.

In Guild Wars 2, I didn't feel that way at all. When I didn't party with my two brothers, I felt immersed in the game with an actual sense of community. Now you can help other people without being penalized (supporting them with whatever skills you have, or CC'ing the monster so it's blinded, snared, etc.) and it really adds to the experience. Being able to revive total strangers is nice, not only because you get a small bit of EXP, but also because they will always return the favor when I go down soon after. If I saw a player with low health trying to kite some monsters, I could cripple the group and work on pulling aggro and they likewise could help me out when they see me in trouble. I enjoy helping other players in MMOs and GW2 let's me finally accomplish that. When not in group combat (which to me is 4+ people or so) I still didn't feel like the world was stale and lonely. The general chat was more helpful and mature compared to all the other MMOs I played (well, LOTRO has some nice peeps) since the game doesn't revolve around 'every man for himself' type goals. It's less artificial in a way because when we see people in trouble in real life, do we not try to help them if we have the power?

WvW has a great snowball effect that I've noticed. It could be just you running around until you see another friendly player. You guys can work side-by-side and try to take down a Dolyak. Afterwards you head towards a Supply Camp and a few other people join you. Next up? Forts and such. And the great thing is that you don't have to be partied up for it. What's not to love here?

And when playing with friends and my brothers, well, that's just crazy fun. Calling out buffs as a Guardian on Mumble is fun (I just like talking a lot maybe? XD) or picking a target to burn down or suggesting we revive someone makes for exciting combat to me.

What he was saying was true. GW2 is an MMO without the point of an MMO. It's the same as playing Skyrim, except that you see everyone else who are playing Skyrim at the same time as you.

Still a good game, though. But kinda boring. GW1 didn't make me feel like this.
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I disagree. Guild Wars 1, while fun in its own right, was one of the most loneliest online games I have ever played. Granted, it wasn't a proper MMO, but it's not that fun to run story missions or even quests in instances/shards with crappy AI henchman or heroes. Why bother with a guy who plays Monk when your own Monk Hero has a customizable skill bar with the best skills? If a Necro didn't bring a skill bar that was highly ranked on PvX Wiki, he couldn't join. Same for Warriors.

One guy in that thread sums it up pretty nice for me:
This is an argument I keep seeing popping up all the time and I don't understand why. In the 20+ hours I've played of GW2 I've had more memorable moments then in the entire lifespan of GW1 with regards to social interaction. In no other MMO do you see people actively helping each other out in the middle of a fight when things go wrong, or simply by helping others while walking around at random.

Do I add them to my friends list and keep talking to them over the course of 4 years? Of course not. That's a spot reserved for those that I find fun and enjoyable to party with on a regular basis, like guildies. But I certainly don't feel the same as in other MMOs, GW1 included, where the mear mention of invinting random guys after waiting for 1 hour "for a healer" starts sending warning signs to my brain.

If people keep bringing this up I'll start to think that you guys enjoy waiting 30+ minutes to form a group. It's not like 50%+ of the population of MMOs are fun to party with in the first place...
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That's my own personal take on it anyways. I'm sure there are others who did feel a bit lonely when playing though.
 
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haha Keero, once we start doing guild dungeon runs or WvW raids I'll be right there will you calling out targets/heals/etc on Mumble. GW2 is one of the first games where it is necessary to actively call out (verbally) what you're doing.
 
I have to agree that I love the chance to just run in and help out a stranger without worrying that I might be messing something up for him.

I also liked running into a fun team and trying to stick with them from baddie to baddie.

I think we're going to see much more fun group play when we're not in such a hurry to get something done by midnight on Sunday.
 
Glad to hear all the positive responses to the game, especially with regards to the social aspect.

Stc95 said:
GW2 is one of the first games where it is necessary to actively call out (verbally) what you're doing.
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Can you be more specific? I didn't think this would be necessary because the raid system is so radically different than World of Warcraft where everyone had a unique job and if that someone failed, everyone else falls down like domino's. Now I'm worried that I must be on a mic for all dungeons. =/ Urg!
 
As for calling out targets baseline key binds

Ctrl T = Mark Target with a red target over his head....
T = assist on marked target.

Works fairly well.

I used it a few times and I noticed it did good.

I agree with Kerro I found myself having fun even when I was solo because people would come help and I would go help people out. I never felt alone in a solo qued instanced dungeon or quest area. I felt like we worked together in a true MMO.

Also I noticed that when I got into groups of friends from 2-5 people we had a blast moving from place to place seeing everything along the way.

This game is no single player MMO, this argument is a bit weak IMO.
 
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Stc95 said:
haha Keero, once we start doing guild dungeon runs or WvW raids I'll be right there will you calling out targets/heals/etc on Mumble. GW2 is one of the first games where it is necessary to actively call out (verbally) what you're doing.
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I disagree, in wow it was essential to call out healing and targets in Rated BG's... :P Just had to trololol you some ;)
 
I did a little of both in the betas and stress tests, running with guildies and running by myself. Either was enjoyable, and even when running by myself the interaction with other random players was always interesting and helpful. Unlike GW1 where some pugs were just plain painful enough to cause me to swear off of pugs forever. And the idea of sharing resources and rewards never makes for a hyper competitive feel where ya just gotta be firstest with the mostest, or play by yourself. Single player, not really, just a very different feel to it.
 
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