What Do FPO & SPO Mean To You?

A lot of players here are either happy playing SPOffline or OPO, but its nice to have some in between options for the rest of us. For those of you that intend on using SPO (Single Player Online) and/or FPO (Friends Play Online), what do they mean to you? Why do you value these modes and how do they fit in to your larger game intentions?

 

My opinions on the subject.

SPO is for players who want a 'Skyrim' experience.

FPO is for D&D type players who want to adventure with a small group of friends.

OPO is for people who want a typical MMO like experience.

OPO Open PvP/Full Loot are for people who want a UO Siege Perilous/Pre Felucia-Trammel experience.

 

To be honest, most of the time I will be playing single player or Friend player if my father in law buys the game too (or playing with my other half)

 

I think Owain said it very well (my thoughts as well). The big thing is flexibility and my mood. If I want a nice quiet bit of gametime where I hang out by myself and get some things done, I have that choice. If I want to meet some new people or mix things up I can open my game to the world and see where it takes me. If my friends or guild is hosting an event, we can all get together and have a great time.

I'm thinking there may be some customization coming to FPO where it's not just an on/off switch but one where you can control better who is allowed to show up. In other words, lets say Guild A (pvp) wants to battle Guild B (also pvp), instead of having to add/remove them from your friends list to get them to show or not, you can pick which individuals or groups to include. This may or may not be a guild-based choice but a bit more refinement of who you care to see that night. Just a thought.

 

I always envisioned SPOffline for a TES experience (because you have housing access and modability). What kind of players are looking to play single player, but also want the option to go online?

 

If they don't instanced loot or gathering nodes, a zone gets crowded really fast. There are a lot of ways not having PvP somewhere makes trolling worse.

 

I plan on using all modes. I have a disabled child so during the day when I am most prone to "distractions" I will probably play SPO. This allows me to idle when I need too, go through the storyline, do mundane tasks without worrying too much about what will happen when I have to rush away from the keyboard for long spells. I will still have access to the online world, so my life will be consistant with other modes except not including people I would inconvenience.

FPO is something I imagine I will use the least as I imagine most of my friends will be in OPO mode, but I can see it as something for structured events where you want to ensure a selected audience. This might include playing with friends that don't want to play OPO or trying out specific quest with friends.

I see myself in OPO in the evenings when my kids are in bed and I can devote some real attention to the game.

 

Im interested in OPO and SPO.

I hope the two are not completely separate in that I can move items and gold between them.

At this stage I have no interest in FPO

 

I am sure they will. Its not really much of a persistent world if your inventory in these modes is separated.

 

To me, it comes down to character slots and what the game offers. I typically play a chaotic/good type of character. I am already struggling between a straight warrior character and a straight crafter (I don't wish to combine the two). But if the game truly offers a different gaming experience for "evil" characters, I would like to see that too. So perhaps the single player option may come into play in this regard.

I'm the type of player that wishes to see and experience everything a game has to offer. If I like a game, I'll play all the character classes, find most (if not every) easter eggs, and all the while collecting every insanely hard item to get. If a monster drops an item once in every 700 kills, yes...I am that guy who will drop the creature 700 times to get it.

So if the game offers many different locations to see and quests to take for "evil" characters, then I would definitely want to experience that. I just find it a shame that I would "have to" play the single player option in order to do this. I think I could flesh out and RP a very believable evil character for OPO/Open PvP. I just don't want to always play it.

 

For me, SPO and FPO are guarantees that, no matter how bad the community is - or, rather, specific members of the community are - I will still be able to enjoy the game. It's part of my little bag of contradictions: I only purchase a MMO (or similar) game if I'm fairly sure I can already get my money's worth of entertainment even if I stick to playing solo.

It's a large part of why I didn't even bother to try UO back at launch, after all. From the start it seemed like a game that could only be truly enjoyed as a part of a larger, coherent, group, so I opted to instead avoid the game altogether. Open PvP was also a large part of the reason, of course, though the two aspects intermingle; the game looked like one I couldn't enjoy solo exactly because of PvP.

On the other hand, I plan to use SPO and FPO mostly to escape nasty players and, perhaps, avoid too crowded instances (and, thus, too much competition for mobs/resources/etc); the rest of the time I will likely be playing in OPO.

 

Probably OPO for the most part, and if that doesn't keep me interested OPO/PvP.
Possibly FPO if I find any friends.

**I don't really see the point in SP for myself (I have ZERO intrest in the 'story' and access to plenty of other good games) unless I find the general community so repulsive that playing around others is not an acceptable option.

 

This is a very good question. The demand for modes where one can limit player interaction but also have an affect on the same world those other players are in causes a host of issues.

If such modes are used to gain advantage over other players who choose to play open, it is just as bad as griefers and others taking advantage of people in the open mode. I'm not confident that SPO/FPO can be implemented without giving players options to "take advantage" of the system. Thus what they really mean to me are a host of issues.

I understand the real reasons for playing solo online, and friends online, but they can create an all new form of griefing and I hope the people who want those modes are willing to accept some real limitations on crossing back and forth.

 

I'll probably go SPO or FPO for the first while doing the story, so that other players won't ruin it for me, then go to OPO

 

I'm happy that we'll be able to switch between the Online Selections at any 'safe' place. If my friends play, or new friends like to role play, I'll be in the FPO when I can. Otherwise, I will only be in FPO for a Tavern visit with them or something. I may poke my head into OPO now and then, just because,... but if no one is really playing my 'style', I may find myself in the SPO more than not, since I often solo and wander anyway in adventures.

 

I will likely be playing some level of Online, as stated above, mostly dependent on mood.

Single Player Online is for those times when I don;t want to be bothered while I'm playing, but I still want the updates to the game and any new content that has been added behind the scenes. It allows me to enjoy the changing world but not be botherred by unwanted conversation or "help".

Friends Only Online will probably be my default once the game is up and running and the Friends List is built. Again it allows me to control the level of interaction I want.

Open Multiplayer Online might be used for larger or special events that may occur or may be needed depending on what content is added and how it works.

I doubt I'll play any form of Offline or PvP/Full Loot though (unless the quest involved specifically calls for it and is worth the effort).

 

I will actually try to answer your question.

By playing Single Player Online, I can play without other people interfering with my story, and still have access to other players' vendors for the goods and services I can't do myself. Remember, we are not going to be able to master all skills.
Single Player Offline would not give me access to a full range of player created content.

The Friend Play Online choice allows me to enjoy the game with my friends, without letting jerks come in and ruin our fun.

So, what I value about both is access to player vendors, and avoidance of grief.

 

This to me is the real reason behind everyone's hopes for SPO and FPO. Griefing. And we all hate it so much that we're willing to open up opportunities for taking advantage of the game in new ways. It's like chemotherapy - it gets the cancer, but it makes you sick with different problems. The holy grail of medicine is to create something that targets a sickness and that alone without any side effects.

Are we still at the point in gaming of having no more elegant solutions than this? I think SPO/FPO are going to be like chemo - they're going to get the cancer but cause your hair to fall out, etc. I don't think it's all that pretty. And I can't believe that people can't come up with better solutions - becuase usually when someone says "it can't be done!" it motivates someone else to do it.

 

I don't have any friends...

I'll play OPO Open PvP with Full Loot for the thrill and self-punishment. I'm not a hardcore PvPer, neither very good at PvP, but when I do win a battle, man, that feeling trumps anything else in a game!

 

I'm your friend, Buddy...your only friend...

*Because once you've had a friend like me, you don't ever want a friend again...(and I mean that in the not-positive way)...