Make this game feel more MMO like..Easy Solution

Disable Party mode and Private mode when in town and in the Novia Map. Make the game feel like an MMO and as crowded as possible. People accidentally especially noob players sometimes end up in party mode and feel like the game is dead.

This is a really easy fix. and I don't see much downside for doing it this way.



Probably a duplicate thread. Let me know and I can delete it.

 

I've suggested this before as well. Surprised the idea hasn't gained more attention and support. I'm sure others have as well. It seems like a no brainer; I was actually surprised it didn't work this way already. Please @DarkStarr consider doing this.

 

+!

 

i've seen people ask for an OPTIONAL mode to work like that, and i would probably use it myself if it were added, but forcing people who don't want to be in multi into multi would be a deal-breaker. there are plenty of people who specifically bought in because of the selective multiplayer promise. you don't get to decide their mode for them just because you want to see more people.

 

Exactly what Alley said; optional mode switch is fine, forced is not.

 

Let's play this game, do you know people who 24/7 want to be in private mode? Can't really make up scenarios thinking this X player want sto to play the game this way.

I highly doubt this X player exists. If he/she is there, there is an offline mode for this.
If they really did exist, I doubt this is a deal breaker for them.

At this point, I believe this hurts the game more than it helps. Especially a lot of new players, god knows how they accidentally end up in party mode. Claiming the game is empty. I've seen them on twitch, discord and just in the game in general. Since actively chase down trial players to help them.


Try to appease the X player who is <1% of the population..which probably doesn't exist, to kill the growth of the game?

Doesn't make sense to me, especially where the game is right now, at a huge pivot point.

 

A compromise would be for new players to give them a warning they are in private mode and to click a button to get back into public mode.

I think that would also be fair.


I think at this point, is whats an easy fix that the company can do to help gain and make new players stick? This is one easy solution.

A lot of people thinking the game is empty when they actually end up in private mode.


Still, have a hard time accepting people would quit playing if they forced open mode in Town and Map. Really don't think that person exists.

 

Of course, make it an additional checkbox in the same settings menu. I don't think anyone here intended to deprive people of playing a mode they were promised (maybe they did, but I didn't read it that way)...

The discussion should probably be about what should be the default setting. Seems like the game would benefit from it working this way by default, and then allowing those who don't want to see anyone else ever to enable or disable the checkbox (depending on how the setting is written).

Something like:

General Multiplayer Mode:
( ) Open
(*) Party
( )Private

Enable Open Multiplayer Mode in the following Scenes:
[x] Novia
[x] NPC Towns
[x] Player Owned Towns

I would suggest they probably get there after realizing that there is a distinct competitive advantage to rolling around in the adventure zones in Party/Private mode (no competition for resources). Then they start feeling like the place is a ghost town because they are unwilling to endure the loading times to switch back and forth between Open and Party/Private.

 

This is a really nice idea but of course @Alley Oop is right. However, what if it were an additional option in the multiplayer config settings.

 

Yes, and offline is not the answer.

Just as an example, I purchased this game for me, my son, my brother, and now two of my son's friends. Although I play in open multiplayer occasionally (mostly for streaming or attending events), when we are all on we exclusively play in Party Only mode. The only reason I have so many accounts is that we have selective multiplayer, and can choose to NEVER take the kids into open multiplayer mode.

We have reasons for this (mostly that two of the kids have social anxiety, and we don't trust other players in a MMO to not be dicks, so we won't let them play online by themselves), but they are no less valid than you wanting to see more players online, just to have a "full world".

We were sold on a selective multiplayer experience. If we don't get that, there is no reason for us to play this game.

 

Jason based on your feedback, I feel like there can be further compromise.

Force the game to be online, and make it difficult to go into private mode. What I mean by that is make sure the player understands what Private/Party mode means, and so forth. I guess its more what I suggested in the 2nd iteration.

The main problem is a lot of people thinking the game is emptier than it is, gets complaints. I'm unsure how these new players end up in these modes accidentally, I've seen it first hand.

A lot of people are complaining about the user base, but its really not as bad as people think it is, specifically because people are playing in private mode.

 

Personally, I would like to see players both on the map and in cities/towns.

The main reason I would shy away from the solution you're proposing is because it would incentivize players to stay out of multiplayer for all other purposes.

I'D RATHER THEY JUST FIX THE PROBLEMS WITH MULTIPLAYER. There are specific reasons why people stay away from multiplayer and I think there are specific fixes which would work and encourage people to stay connected at all times.

 

If you want players to play in open multiplayer mode, there are ways to do that. However, the OP was:

Said as though there would be no choice. Thats not possible.

Here's how you can fix this:

• Put the Multiplayer control up front, like it was originally. Pick your mode before you pick to log in. Right now its hidden in the Options menu.
• Change harvesting nodes to not be shared; each player gets their own nodes and respawn using streaming, so everyone can play in multiplayer and not compete for resources. With that change, most players who are in SPO will come back to MPO.
• Revisit the xp bonus for playing in MPO. I believe they split the bonus for PVP into partially be just playing in MPO, but perhaps they need to slide that a bit more.

None of that would affect me at all. If they do any of the other suggestions I've seen (i.e., buttons to get back to MPO quickly, etc), then I *NEED* an option to disable that in the Multiplayer settings. We already have issues with groups not forming or getting into the same instance because someone logs in using the wrong mode. Since we have zero other parental controls, I'd sure this will go nowhere.

 

I like where Jason is going with this.

part of my reasons was a lot of people forget to change back and forth
and New players who don't want to be in private/party mode somehow go there.


My initial solution was very brash but it considered the current resources the devs currently have. Meaning it is the easiest brute force fix to the problem. but as Jason pointed out, many people would not be happy with this. Probably best to make solutions that don't hurt your active player base.

 

If people want to be in multiplayer and meet other people, they would probably do that already. You have to go out of the way to be in the wrong mode at this point.

Think of this scenario of why forcing is counter productive. Let's say if there a small number of players who would like to stick to themselves on that particular session, but being forced to be in public. There's a new players show up to say hi to the group, but being shunned/ignored/or tell to go buck off. The experience of that new player would probably not be any better than what it is right now. He/she could also assume that the entire game is full of mean/toxic people, which is not accurate just like how they would assume that the game is empty.

 

Hi, nice to meet you. If I was forced I would definitely stop playing as much as i do now.

One reason, I play on a crappy laptop and lag pretty bad in big towns when I'm in multiplayer. Another reason, I love the ability to log on quickly and do a few things (set up buy orders, list items to sell) without being bothered. Sometimes I don't have time for small talk, and after playing this game for years now, I know a ton of other players.

I'd be more than happy with an optional way to do it. I would probably use the option from time to time. But if it was forced, I would not be happy at all.

 

@Browcoat Jayson described his own reasons for Party mode which make perfect sense in his circumstances.
My own personal and non researched view (but based on conversations, observations, decades of online game play, etc...) is that a great many people may choose Party or Private modes in SOTA, given they are available (often they are not in other MMOs), as they are anxious, suspicious or simply anti PVP.

This is unfortunate and probably unnecessary as in SOTA the game mechanics mean players do not need to be concerned about having their enjoyment of the game spoiled be being pestered or bullied into PVP or indeed Ganked out in the game world.

I wonder is there enough information provided on the game website about game modes and consequences and also in the starter areas and generally during early game regarding the different modes and game mechanics to perhaps reassure players that despite these worrying opt-out buttons, theyre not needed to avoid unwanted conflict or being pestered into social interaction when not desired.

I would imagine that once you select private or party mode, you're reluctant to move into the fully open environment, simply out of habit and comfort.

 

I wonder if the new PVP rules coming in R55 will help with this. The current (frankly, broken) way to flag on-the-fly currently is going away.

 

maybe, maybe not. i helped a newbie place a house and completely lock it down because he WOULD not believe that his things couldn't be stolen if he didn't. uo trauma lingers.

 

Is it really an issue on numbers? Or a feeling of being empty?

You could add how many players are in a scene in any mode to the Nearby Players window. However, you still won't run into anyone, so will you still feel that the world is empty?

Too many places are already barred from MPO anyway, and the way the game works incentivizes players to not be in that mode in other modes. Make mines MPO, and get rid of the reason for playing in SPO, and players will play in MPO. Then the game will not feel empty.