We're being discouraged from interacting with each other in multiplayer

I'm in multiplayer, in FireLotus's tavern, alone.

There's nothing going on here, no other players. It's just another boring day. There's a radio here, but when I turn it on I realize that there are two channels to choose from. That's when I realize that no one else will here the radio if I turn it on.

We wouldn't want to annoy the people that aren't here. But if they were here, we REALLY wouldn't want to annoy them. Because well...I have no idea.

We've taken multiplayer and removed any form of conflict, any form of interaction. I'm playing single player online in multiplayer mode. It's not good.

Multiplayer should encourage people to talk to each other. Multiplayer should encourage people to deal with one another, at least be aware of each other.

As I try to think about how to do this in my own town, I'm left wondering if the game will support that kind of organic interaction. I know the population of testers is low, but it's like this everywhere. We shouldn't have to have planned events to find some kind of social acknowledgement that confirms we're in multiplayer.

/ignore
/zone
/stuck

Horrible tools that oppress roleplaying and lower the server population to an instance of siloed playstyles.

We should really think twice about how we're building this game on a social level.

Right now it's raining in Owl's Head, a huge storm. It's very cool. Someday I hope there's an automatic debuff (or water attunement that gets more and more pervasive the longer you stay out in the rain), then eventually you get sick and get another debuff. Why? Because it would force you INSIDE to a warm fire that would heal you up and remove the debuffs or prevent the sickness! This would make places like Owl's Head natural gathering places where players could chat and share stories. I know we're just not that far along in development yet, but we need the world to work like this, because it won't otherwise.

 

Aren't you a solo player/loner?

If you go to a pre-scheduled event, you should find lots of people. But I mean with so many things to do all the time, you might not always find someone to socialize with.

 

I'm a solo player loner, yes. But I'm playing multiplayer for a reason.

Scheduled events are fine, not trying to take anything away from them. But the general feel of the game is that it's a dead grind that's supported by mechanics that make it a dead grind even if people were standing right next to you.

 

Most of the people in game right now do not care about RP immersion, I would just as soon not see those people. I cannot wait for Friends only online. This way you can filter who you want to be in your world. You will see friends of friends of course, but then there is the block/ignore after that.

 

Sure Ravicus, and I'm not saying you shouldn't be able to play how you want. But if it's multiplayer, then we should encourage MULTIPLAYER. I should see PEOPLE doing things and talking to each other and socializing.

But we've carved up this game so much that everyone is in single player online or grinding or has people on /ignore and don't show up in the scene. What kind of multiplayer is that? We're catering to people that want friends online mode and not multiplayer. But we're doing it at the expense of fostering a true multiplayer environment.

 

Its because of the instance limits and the filter that you have. The choices you make lets the game match you up to like minded people in order to match people up in instances. I believe the cap is 128.

 

I know that. What I'm saying is that I think that's a mistake. If you want to play friends online, there's going to be a mode for that. Multiplayer mode should be a lot more open, and we should be funneling everyone into the same scenes. But it's not just that, the individual mechanics make it almost impossible to interact with anyone in an organic way.

Don't like player music? Fine, just turn it off.
Don't want to listen to the radio station in FireLotus Tavern? That's ok, you can pick whichever one you want or just pretend that the radio isn't being played in the first place.
Don't like PVP, no problem you're never going to be flagged. Unless of course you want to because it's an easy kill or you want to help gank someone, then it's ok.

We're making everything convenient for people to the point that we no longer have a multiplayer world. We'll hit 128 people in Owl's Head only when there's a planned event.

There could be 5000 people playing at the start of R25 but it will look like there's only about 30 because everyone will be scattered around grinding and hiding from the types of people that make "different choices".

 

You're expecting too much out of a huge world with low population.. many of whom play at separate times. The current pre-alpha population can't fill every scene currently in the world. It's also not the same as discouraging people.

There's another issue to consider in that there is no real central hub for all traffic. There are too many towns spreading people out. The only thing devs could really do to improve population density is to actively limit where people could go.. which would be counter productive to testing.

 

I think that is ok. This is not an MMO. The scenes will have caps and that has always been the plan.

 

I don't think Open PvP is the solution to this problem. I mean if anything it will drive all the non-PVP people into Friends Only or single player online modes.

As for player music/radio station...someone can just turn off speakers. Doesn't matter if there's an in-game version or not. I also don't think forcing people to listen to the music will foster multiplayer interactions.

I'm okay with the weather thing for realism sakes.

 

I logged into Friends Only Online earlier this release?

 

I agree with you. But one of the things we should be testing is how RP is impacted by the environment.

There's NOTHING going on in this game - anywhere. It's just a huge grind fest.

 

Oh? I did not see it lit up when I tried. I will look again. Thanks for the heads up.

 

I'm not trying to suggest open pvp is the answer to more social interaction. I'm suggesting that people that like PVP can't find it because in order to do that you have to flag yourself pvp and then wait for people higher level than you are to jump you. I was using that as another example of poor mechanics that drive off interaction even between people that like PVP.

 

I agree with so much of what you say Baron Drocis on this post. I agree we should have to deal with each other and know each other is there. I don't think we should all have to turn on the radio to hear it. If someone does not want to hear it then of course they can turn off their music. I loved being in Owlshead one release when music just came in and I'm all just doing my own thing, when all the sudden I hear someone just standing on the corner playing a song I had not heard in forever. So I walked up that player and introduced myself and said 'hey I love that song' and we started chatting a bit. Now that is multiplayer. Like in UO you're standing next to a person in the Alchemy store and all the sudden he drops dead so you rez him/her and work your rez skill and joke around with it because he drank too much poison working his poison resist or poison skill. I don't say we have to be just like UO but just an example

 

Yes, exactly! If you don't like the music...get up and leave! (or turn your speakers off)

But there has to be a way to foster organic social interaction in multiplayer, otherwise it's not really multiplayer.

 

You're exaggerating. There's always something going on somewhere. I myself will soon be running 3 regular events weekly. You just need to get yourself plugged in and look for events.. or hang out with your own friends and just do something. Unless you're proactive about getting involved somewhere don't expect activity to come to you. Even when the population is high you will find that if you don't seek out whatever is going on it's not going to seek you out.

 

I've played online MUD's that had more organic (non-event driven) social interaction than this.

One of the reasons for this however, was that those MUD's didn't give players an out and babysit every move they made.

There were all kinds of people there socializing, but they rarely would go outside of the towns because that was more dangerous and they no longer had the protection of the guards. So you had this built in population in the towns that would just be there, chatting, helping people, etc...

We need more Lazarus Long's and full time crafters, we need reasons for warriors to stop and hang out, tell their stories and interact with other people. We need less grinding to make this happen. Right now anything social is a tax on players grinding out levels.

 

I might be wrong, but it was my understanding that /zone was not here to stay. At least not after the official release.

I'd love this. And yes, taverns and inns were meant to provide shelter and refreshment to travelers and locals alike, but since the times of D&D they have been turned into nothing more than quest hubs...

 

Not to burst your bubble but that doesn't mean anything.

That's going to be an uphill battle until launch. Population density is going to be a problem until the masses come in. Players need a reason to go somewhere during their 'down time'.. add the fact that we're in testing with character wipes and there's no incentive to play for long hours. We should not expect players to play as if the game was complete.