Solo Instances - well, not just yet...

[Chackra]

I imagine SOE might well slap some sort of backstory onto the tasks, but I don't really care one way or the other about "lore" -- when I want a story, I read a novel.

What I want is some sort of purpose, and hopefully meaningful choices.  Maybe helping out one NPC will get me great faction with some group but maybe keep me from getting tasks with another NPC, or maybe helping one NPC will eventually lead to really great sleeves, but that means I can't take tasks that would eventually lead to great gloves, etc.  There's no reason that tasks couldn't eventually turn into solo (or small group) mini-epic quests.  

And there should be some sort of in-game mentor or some way of knowing how to make those decisions before I begin, rather than facing the previous EQ quest Hobbes' choice of either talking to dozens of random NPC's and using a spreadsheet to sort through their random gobbledygook and then spend hundreds of hours getting bags full of crap to turn in to see if anything useful happens, or just looking them up at cheat sites.

But I'm not that picky, I just want some reason to be doing one thing as opposed to any other way of getting loot and exp.   I'm pretty sure that random tasks from random NPC's to give random gear (which, apparently won't even be as good as what I can buy in the bazaar) won't fill that bill.

[Lorathir]

Lore isn't just text you read Chackra - it defines your purpose, and the reason for everything you interract with. If lore is fuzzy, so is your purpose. If lore makes sense, your purpose is defined. You already care about lore -

What I want is some sort of purpose, and hopefully meaningful choices. Maybe helping out one NPC will get me great faction with some group but maybe keep me from getting tasks with another NPC, or maybe helping one NPC will eventually lead to really great sleeves, but that means I can't take tasks that would eventually lead to great gloves, etc.

Faction is lore. There's a reason why killing Bard's makes Gorenaire happy.

[Alerka]

What SOE are trying to deal with is that to make solo LDoNs fair and balanced, is that they need a way for non-soloing classes to use them.  Else it isn't balanced.

Not trying to be offensive here at all, but if people want to solo, then choose a class that can solo. Don't choose a warrior and then whine that you can't solo.

[Hereki]

It's about balance.  Why add game mechanisms that benefit solo classes exclusively?  You can't whine about non-soloing classes in that way.

[Lorathir]

Put another way, why does Halas allow Redwind and the snow orcs to have camps so close?

Funny you should mention this Bengali.

*EQ2 Lore Spoiler alert*

Snow Orc's defeated Barbarians and ravaged Halas - the majority of Barbs gave up Halas and retreated.

[Alerka]

I think it would be relatively easy to make solo instances for non-solo classes if Sony just used some imagination. The problem with having only a hammer is you attack every problem as if it is a nail.

They need to break the mold of editing mobs and mob ability to create situations. All they have to do is invent new ideas.

For instance (no pun intended):

In the warrior solo instanced dungeons you could have an npc woven into the plot that heals you as you fight, but does nothing else. Let it have a limited mana pool and it sounds like a good idea to me.

Maybe rogues could have solo instanced dungeons where they get exp for picking locks and disarming traps. They could get exp for stealing "loot" from the dungeon. Maybe they could also hav mobs in their dungeon that its possible to do extra backstab damage on if you sneak up on them.

I know these suggestions sound kind of crazy, but thats just what I came up with in the 30 seconds I thought about it. Surely Sony employees could brainstorm and come up with something a lot better.

[Oneiromancer]

From what I've read, yes, the tasks will only be up to level 50 at OoW launch.  But they WILL be up to level 70 eventually...they just won't be able to complete it at launch and they'd rather have the tasks available for, I assume, those who have the hardest time finding groups since everyone is so high level now...

Game on,

[Fajing]

Here is the way I see it.  Solo content is gonna be needed.  On Povar the "Big" guilds have noticed a steady decrease in member participation ( read: folks are not logging in to EQ).  Many new games are taking players away from EQ.  WoW, CoH, SWG ( yes its getting better ), EQ2 even.  

Solo play in EQ is going to be more commonplace as these new games sap the "Group play" out of this aging game.  Dont get me wrong, I still plan on playing EQ but those folks who have "Seen it all" are losing interest, and understandably so.

Group play is what EQ was built on, what it relied on, and group play only will be its downfall. If the "guilds" break down so will the ability to reach the end game content. If the younger players view the end game content as unattainable then they too will depart for greener pastures.

This limit of level 50 for the solo content will of course not keep THESE big guild folks around for this expansion. This needs to increase. IF this is the only solo content for OOW.

Fix is simple imo.  LDON style instances with difficulty based on the number of players in the group.  Players dictating the difficulty based on the groups avg level and number.  This game can still be based on group play but it must bear in mind that groups are going to become smaller as this game ages. Maybe down to 2 friends going on adventures.

My 2 cp.

Fajing Shenlung
65 BST
Forces Unknown
Povar

[The Kittenpeeler]

So... rather than fix the quest system to give real rewards for your effort, you have yo buy an expansion to get a bunch of (supposedly) good RvR quests to level up your alts?

Instead of killing a Crushbone orc and turning it's belt in in exchange for a small lantern,and some exp, I can kill a Crushbone ork and turn it's belt in for... points to buy a small lantern with, and some exp?

Wheee

[Goretzu]

Okay... solo tasks >>> solo instanced zones. I like this because it allows for a vast expanse to explore instead of tiny little subzones that lie completely empty unless someone starts them up.

So long as the REWARDS are decent.

If at L50 (the max for now) you get the equiverlent of 1 x light blue kill exp and a rusty short sword that's not going to be so good!  :shock:

(and this IS SoE remember.  :lol: )


We'll have to see how it is implemented.




The things for solo LDoN zone were decent solo exp, decent solo loot and LDoN points, always being able to get a solo 'camp', useful for short playtimes and when LFG and the fact it could be taliored to allow classes that otherwise cannot solo (in a normal environment) to get some solo exp.
Against solo LDoN: time to impliment and lack of social interaction.



If tasks give all those positives (except LDoN points) AND the ability to still interact with other people and explore Norrath (in an entertaining way) they'll be GREAT. :)


If it's just run all over norrath for the 100th time for an hour and get 1% Exp and a rusty sword that'll be pretty DIRE. :(

[Hereki]

Remember Trep's quest?

Gave around 4% at 35 down to 1% at 51, if I recall correctly - plus you profited around 60pp from your initial investment of 20pp, and it took about 20 minutes if you could gate.

Before it was nerfed, it was the primary leveling mechanism for day time play clerics and rogues.

I'd hope for something a little better, and not just a shopping list that not all races could buy, but that's ok for the scale of reward; a little less than you should get in a decent group.

[ghostryder]

I think the solo LDON should be looked at seriously- this task system seems to be no more than short simple quests with a time limit-and worse no way to plan out your rewards as in the LDON layout-

I do 40 Guk missions because I have my eye on the Tunic, for example- in this task system it's just random ho-hum, nothing to work towards kinda stuff that'll like be very much like the flopped tribute system.

solo missions have been available for years in Anarchy Online, but in that system you had your circuit board which basically acted as your adventuring stone - and as more missions were done it got better- the rest of the loot was random and found in chests-

What made LDON better was you had the same thing in the adventure stone but the loot sat on merchants, could be examined and planned on-

If the task system lacks this then it just doesn't sound too exciting to me. I don't want to have to depend on random rewards I might not want or need- I want something to work toward.

[Incite]

Put another way, why does Halas allow Redwind and the snow orcs to have camps so close?

Funny you should mention this Bengali.

*EQ2 Lore Spoiler alert*

Snipped

Noooooooooooooo.... the orcs are there for a challenge for appropriately leveled players in the Everfrost area.

Regarding EQ's lore ... the whole background was so shallow and pathetic to start with it's really not worth the bother.  There are LOTS of well detailed, well developed, wonderfully written fictional worlds out there.  Norrath is not one of them.

[sinhuit]

I really hope SoE think long and hard about OoW beore releasing it.  From what I have heard about it so far they are just going around repeatedly stabbing themselves in the foot.  
Task only available upto lvl 50 at release !!!   HELLO McFLY *tap**tap*  so that excludes 65% of the people who play Everquest.      SoE you are absolute friggin geniuses.    
If the only thing I can get out of this is an extra 5 levels , dubious aa's  and some locked zones , GoD is the last expansion I get.

[baklum]

Group play is what EQ was built on, what it relied on, and group play only will be its downfall. If the "guilds" break down so will the ability to reach the end game content. If the younger players view the end game content as unattainable then they too will depart for greener pastures.

Hi Fajing,

I see solo LDONs as a great idea. I also see your point.  However...

IMO, a majority of total EQ players are not members of high-end guilds and will never be able to have a play-style that allows them to be a member.  If EQ is to survive it needs a way for the casual player 50+ to be able to get some meaningful return for their style of play (1-3 hrs/session).  If they don't do this then the majority of players may leave to  try a new alternative (WoW) that is (hopefully) more suited to their playing needs.

I think SOE has seen this very real possibility and is moving to avert Doomsday by catering more to the casual player.  

Cheers,

Baklum


Baklum Chaam
57 Vah Shir bst
terris-thule