That's Right, I Solo in your MMOs!

I find it mind boggling that players are still trying to distill online gaming down to group content (MMORPG) or if you solo, you clearly belong in single-player games (RPG).  They speak as if that’s all there is to the game – the manner in which you complete content?  I’m baffled by such a narrow definition of gaming - solo or group.  Doesn’t that strike you as too vanilla?  I don’t happen to like vanilla ice cream. I mean for real, in case anyone cares. *smile*

I ask myself, have they never been with someone doing completely different things but in the same space and enjoying the camaraderie? You’re sitting together on the sofa.  Someone is watching TV while the other is reading a book.  You go to the mall together.  You go into some of the same stores, then split up to hit the shops that only you like and meet back up at the food court for lunch.

My best friend and I like to take vacations together since we’re both single – again.   She loves the beach.  I tolerate the beach.  I love to read, her not so much.  We both enjoy good conversation.  We head out to the beach together, sitting in the sun relaxing for a long while.  When I’m tired of that, I grab my book and go have tea or whatever in the lounge.  She doesn’t come until she’s ready – or not at all.  Later we head out for dinner and a long chat or sight-seeing together.  It’s not all or nothing.  It’s not because we don’t want to be doing the same thing, at the same exact time – the WHOLE DAYUM TIME, we shouldn’t take trips together.  There’s a middle ground of shared experiences, along with time allowed for personal (solo) experiences.  What a shallow place the world and for that matter games, would be, if it could ONLY be one or the other! 

Is “doing the content” all you enjoy about MMORPGs?  Wow, I’d find that rather narrow.  Personally, I like exploring, love crafting, enjoy participating in the economy and being all round competitive with other players my level, none of which is in anyway dependent on whether or not I like to do the content alone or in a group. 

I really wish people would stop assuming that people who prefer to quest solo naturally want to be alone.  We just don’t want to group with your uptight asses.  (j/k – being snarky or not).  Warhammer Online Public Quests and Open Groups were the right direction, just too many directions.  *Sigh*  No point in rehashing that now. 

Being amongst other players CANNOT be replaced or replicated by intelligent NPCs, at least none that I’ve seen.  Even in a game like The Sims where I have limitless interactions with NPCs – I can marry, have sex and bear children with NPCs, even that can’t replace the spontaneous adventures that erupt between REAL PEOPLE. 

The Sims was ruined for me the minute I started playing MMOs.  I play it occasionally, but I’m always aware that I’m not interacting with another human being, no matter how interesting and developed an A.I. system has been deployed.  It is NOT the same.  Please stop suggesting that it should be “good enough” simply because I prefer to quest solo.

I love being around other real players in the game.  I enjoy seeing what they’re doing, what they’ve achieved, fighting with them, fighting against them (lean toward PVP) and running across them out in the world “doing their thing” while I’m doing mine.  Chuck a heal there, apply a buff here, kill that thing that’s about to kill that player, ask for some quick help or information, gank someone of the opposing faction, scurry and hide before they can gank me, join up for a spontaneous quick group, etc.  Thanks, it’s been real and I’m on my way.

The reasons why people solo in MMOs is as varied as the players themselves.  You can’t boil it down to how they prefer to do the majority of the quests, so stop trying.  You don’t get us and quite frankly, it’s silly for you to prescribe solutions to a play-style you don’t even understand.  I know you're afraid.  It's those damn hippies and rock-n-roll.  Take a deep breath.  You'll survive.  We shrug that you prefer group content and say, go for it.  If and when we feel like doing that, we join groups too.

MMORPGs have evolved to be more like Burger King’s, “Have it your way.”  In my mind, that’s as it should be – I’ll level my way and you’re free to do the same.  I’m sorry if you see solo players as pissing in your Cornflakes.  That’s rather sad but more importantly, too bad.  The train has left the station.  My subscription dollars are as green as yours.  And well, there seem to be a lot of us and the developers/publishers of MMORPGs want our dollars too.  And why wouldn’t’ they?  If they can convince me to buy their MMO, at roughly the same price as I’d pay for a single-player RPG AND pony-up for a monthly subscriptions <insert dollar signs here> – err well, I think you see the point.

If you’re still feeling completely clueless about why I happen to solo MMOs, here’s one set of reasons why. But tomorrow's reasons could be entirely different.  I'm changeful like that.  I'm human and I like to play amongst other humans.

Comments

[Letrange]

Me thinks someone has been trying to pound your round playstyle into their square gameview and they've been using a wee too much mallet.

[Beau]

I look at it like real life, too. I go to the mall and people will be surrounding me, yet I don't walk up to strangers and go "Hey, want to watch a movie?"

I like to have people around me, and the POTENTIAL to join them in groups for certain activities, but not always.

Forced grouping sucks...look at FFXI.

Great post!

Beau

[Gail]

I agree. playing together is what playing is all about, even if you do your own thing.
Kids often play next to each other as well as with each other, and its pretty much the same thing here

[We Fly Spitfires]

I find myself soloing more and more now just because I don't want to commit time to groups. As for example, last night I joined a group but had to leave 90mins into it before we'd finished the dungeon. I feel bad then because it sucks for the rest of the players.

[Melf_Himself]

Yes, but, have you considered that you're ruining my fun by solo-ing and that you may as well be playing a single player game?

...

(j/k)

[Alysianah aka Saylah]

@Letrange - I've recently read one too many posts about how to "fix soloing" and how we're playing the wrong game. I'm just surprised how much people don't get there are lots of other things to do in MMOs besides group content. Geez

@Beau - Maybe it's a personality style. My kids and I have always enjoyed time together in that manner. Sometimes we're playing board games together, other times we're all doing something different while being together and it's just as enjoyable. Same thing with relationships. I could be doing whatever, while he's watching sports. But being there doing what I enjoy and looking up at the game occasionally and commenting is still bonding time.

@Spitfire - Yeah, over the years, it's become harder and harder to commit time to other people. I too hate busting up groups or having to stop to do something, but hey, that's real life. For me anywayz.

@Melf - :-p

[Sean]

Wow, spot on! That's like reading something out of my own mind... I still play WoW because I can solo all the content I care to play... with the recent Ulduar patch, everyone's all excited about gearing up and running heroics, blah blah blah. I'm more excited about the class changes and how that will affect my Alt's...

Great post!

[Scott]

Ever notice that the MMOG genre in particular players spend entirely too much time worrying about what everyone else does?

I have never in my life encountered so many people (and I'm inclined to use the word "people" as loosely as possible at times) who have so much to say about how I and everyone else play the game when at no point in time does it ever affect their game anyway.

I've been playing practically every genre of online gaming since online gaming was around, and the MMOG crowd takes the cake. If everyone would worry even half as much about their own game instead of mine, maybe we'd all get along.

[Letrange]

@Scott - Strangely enough the same phenomenon happens in real life. Are you surprised to find it in MMOs?

[Tesh]

"Ever notice that the MMOG genre in particular players spend entirely too much time worrying about what everyone else does?"

That's not a bug, that's a feature. ;)

Nice rant, Saylah. *bookmarked*

[Blue Kae]

Excellent rant. I don't really understand why people have so many issues with developers adding more options to games. If you want to group then group. If you want to solo, that's good too. I like to do a little of both, but I don't want to skip playing because I don't have an extra hour to devote to finding a group and getting organized.

[Alysianah aka Saylah]

@All - Of all the places I expect to have options and do what pleases me, it's in a freakin' game. If I can't then really WTF is the point?

I don't care how anyone else plays and I don't need them to change games to suit my style. I just take my time and money to the games that do suit me. GEEZ. I read just one too many posts and comments on the subject the past couple of weeks. *Deep breath*

[openedge1]

“is doing the content” all you enjoy about MMORPGs?"

then you say

"I like exploring, love crafting, enjoy participating in the economy and being all round competitive with other players my level"

But, what if these suck, and the real meat of the game is locations that require grouping and has content? You like the game, the mechanics, but grouping would get you a better experience?

I am the type that solos as well, so I am not against your argument.Recently though I argued in guild with a player who said "I never group".

I told him he would be missing some cool stuff, and he proceeded to note that I was an idiot if I thought he should group because he did not want to.

2 days later he was in a group we ran for guild members to get gear. I saw how he played, and suggested he stay a solo player.

But, besides that, really, there should not be an argument for or against..
But, players should EXPERIENCE both to make sure it is NOT what they want in the first place.

Also...Never say NEVER!

[Alysianah aka Saylah]

@Open - for me to stay with a game it has to have a few things I like. It can't be just great questing content or crafting or exploration or etc. I'd wouldn't stay with the game very long. I need to mix it up. Especially since the things that round it out from just a game to a virtual world, for me at least, are the other things you do that contribute to your journey through content.

This is one of the reasons, I come and go so often with EVE Online. I like the PVE but it's not my preferred environment for exploration because I'm trapped in a ship. Doing the PVE only scratches one itch and when I'm tired of that, there's not a lot else for me to do, so I un-sub for a while. I have a similar problem with EQ2. I enjoy the crafting and housing but don't like the content all that much. When I've had enough of my house and crafting, I un-sub which usually happens pretty fast.

I lasted so long in AC2 and WOW because I liked it ALL. When I was tired of one thing, I had several other choices to keep me busy. I haven't found anything else to equal that level of variety since.

And none of the choices to stay or go, have had anything to do with soloing or grouping. Games that are heavily group dependent don't get me as a customer so there's no worries. I didn't start playing EQ2 until they'd made some adjustments in that area. Ibailed on LOTRO before it was even out of BETA although I'd pre-ordered a copy of the game. Too much grouping needed and leveling was a grind at best.

P.S. You've got me stumped with the "never say never..." I didn't use the word never, as in I never, or I will never, anywhere in this post.

Since this is a game and I'm speaking to an adult audience, I don't think we need to tell anyone what they "should" try. That's at the heart of the post. Just let people play the way they want to play. After all they know themselves better than some other player they might meet or who happens to have an opinion about the way other players should participate in games.

[Jeremy S.]

Sidenote: You have a terrific writing "voice"/style.

On Topic: I agree and I read a 5 year old analytical report about Blizzard and WoW where they said "ironically Blizzard initially built WoW around a one-player game"

Food for thought.

P.S. I loved your little vertical climb post and put it on the RoM forums and the lead Community Manager on the English speaking International forums liked it so much he's going to try and get it posted on the main page soon.

[Alysianah aka Saylah]

@JS - Thanks so much for the compliment and the link on the ROM forums. I did notice the traffic which was curious since the post was a bit old.

That might explain a lot about WOW. It's still the best leveling game I've played, bar none. If only they'd do something more horizontal at the end game - housing, more in-depth crafting, more diversity in BGs, etc. Something that alleviates the burden of scheduled group content (raids and arenas). I was gone before the achievements which I suppose is a step in that direction.

When you love a game as much as I adored AC2 and WOW, you really miss not having it. It's like comfort food. Ya know. I miss it. When I've had like the worst day ever, it would be nice to have a game to jump into that I madly adored. *Smile*

[Sören]

I've seen this post a bit late but nevertheless I spend my 2 ct:

I mostly solo in RoM - as I did back in WoW. (I count the quick "share the kills and good bye" grouping as solo play.)

I must be in the mood for grouping up. When grouping you have to wait until everyone is ready. Definitely with PUGs but also with your regular guildie group. And while waiting for the last slot filling you rarely can do something useful (Murphys Law: the long awaited tank joins just when you have decided doing dailies 5 zones away and he impatiently leaves in the moment you come back).

But if you speak about group content(*) like instances and guild life, group play can heavily impact your real life. If you arrange your rl around your MMO group calendar...

Last but not least: solo play is more casual friendly. Imagine you are on vacation, come back and everyone in the guild is 5 levels up and doing content you are not able to.

For all of the above I lvl up at my own speed and look for the group experience when I'm ready for it.

(*) Would it be too ambivalent to say "explicit group content"? ;-)

[strippers sydney]

Which is the best free single player rpg game?