I'm not talking about people who like to solo ON OCCASION, or people who would rather play with people they know or a reliable guild. I mean people who want to play THE ENTIRE GAME without ever grouping with another person, the people who want SOLO OPS in which they use their companions as a raiding team.

 

I mean, isn't laughing with guildies fun? Isn't screwing around in general chat fun?

 

If not, WHY play an MMO, then? What do these people get out of this game that a superior single player game (like Skyrim, for example) wouldn't offer them and even MORE?

 

Is it because, as PA once said, "You can ride that **** through Ironforge!"?

Edited February 3, 2012 by TheRealDestian

Nope, although perhaps I don't fit your definition of solo player. I'm fully aware of the limitations of that style of play.

 

Hopefully you feel better now that you've vented though.

I find enjoyment in self reliance knowing that I am the sole weak-point in all that I do. This carries over to online persistent worlds. I'm a Bounty Hunter I rely on nobody but myself.

Or ......its because MMO's are always adding content and that person would rather play with real life friends than some random 12 year old who hates the way others game.

I usually play solo in MMOs because I frequently run into problems that prevent me from being able to group flawlessly - such as someone screaming bloody murder from downstairs for no reason, or a computer that has a wonky GPU and overheats when it shouldn't, or because I'm the only one whose hands aren't painted on...

 

I really don't want to hold back an entire party on account of me, so I tend to solo. I still lend a hand when someone needs me, and still offer help, but I play solo because I know Murphy's Law applies every five minutes.

a game that will certainly offer an inferior solo play experience than an actual single player game

 

This is not true at all. SWTOR is vastly superior to any other SW RPG on the market right now. I played KOTOR and now I'm done with it.

 

So if you know of any other Bioware made SW based RPG out there, I'd like to hear about it.

 

Oh and it would have to have the option to play with other people, and provide regular content updates.

 

In case anyone is wondering, this is directed at all of the angry posts that complain bitterly about not being able to solo absolutely EVERY piece of content in this

 

I've seen posts by people asking for the option to solo more content, but I haven't seen any angry ones. I've seen a lot of angry replies, such as the one I'm responding to about it however.

I think this MMO has taken in far too many players that WANT to just play it like a single player game, this is not good.

I usually play solo in MMOs because I frequently run into problems that prevent me from being able to group flawlessly - such as someone screaming bloody murder from downstairs for no reason, or a computer that has a wonky GPU and overheats when it shouldn't, or because I'm the only one whose hands aren't painted on...

 

I really don't want to hold back an entire party on account of me, so I tend to solo. I still lend a hand when someone needs me, and still offer help, but I play solo because I know Murphy's Law applies every five minutes.

 

This.

 

Also, people like to adventure in a persistent world. Not necessarily "showing off", but not everyone in real life is an extrovert either -- some people just like doing their own thing.

Or maybe because they are FUN? And just because you do not find them engaging unless you are interacting with other people, does not mean I am incapable of enjoying a game.

You're mostly right.

 

Look at Dragon Age...... the solo RPG that requires you to log in just to play.... so you can compare your 'epic' characters.

 

I remember when you’d hide from people how much time you shamelessly wasted in video games….. now people flaunt it.

I think I've figured out the truth here...

 

The ONLY reason a person who wants to solo would play a massively MULTIPLAYER online RPG, a game that will certainly offer an inferior solo play experience than an actual single player game, is because they may not want to actually INTERACT with other players, but they still want to "show off" to them.

 

That's really what it boils down to: "Hey, complete stranger, look at how uberl337 I am! Please notice how much time I spent leveling to 50 and grinding warzones while never once saying a single word in chat so I could garner just a modicum of self-esteem to call my own as SOMEONE looks upon what I have and envies me for it!"

 

In case anyone is wondering, this is directed at all of the angry posts that complain bitterly about not being able to solo absolutely EVERY piece of content in this game

 

Apparently, these people don't realize that they have games where you CAN solo every piece of content in the game. They're called "single player games".

 

Show off with their eliteism type stance, but cba to help out anyone, ive met plenty in MMOs in the past, i dont want them here.

The main thing about this game is that a lot of the players consider it to be the next in the Knights of the old republic series. These people are used to playing single player games and not MMOs.

I beg to differ. SWTOR IMO is a single player game with MP options. PVP/Grouping/Operations.

 

I've been soloing every class and when like it, I group for heroics and FPs.

 

My only gripe about this game is that they it is basically the mechanics of Mass Effect. Dragon Age KOTOR I like the game but I don't think I want to pay $15 a month for a game that is essentially a single player experience . all they did was slap on chat and grouping/pvp/operations and called it an MMO.

 

you can get the nearly the same experience playing MW3 uncharted 3 Battlefield 3 and get all with a one-time fee.

The ONLY reason a person who wants to solo would play a massively MULTIPLAYER online RPG, a game that will certainly offer an inferior solo play experience than an actual single player game, is because they may not want to actually INTERACT with other players, but they still want to "show off" to them.

 

I don't think so. It seems to me the people who go after the fancy engame PVP and Raid gear (i.e. multiplayer only) are the ones who like to strut their gear and elitism the most.

Edited February 3, 2012 by daemian

Personally, I play two MMOs, including this one, and I do, generally, mostly play solo. This is because they are simply fun games, regardless of their medium. In addition, these games come with the added benefit that I can join other players and have a good time on a team when I am, on occasion, in the mood for it.

 

That said, being the nature of the medium, I hardly mind when certain missions or enemies are designed for groups, nor does it particularly bother me if there are benefits to playing in a team. I don't think any form of advancement should be completely team-exclusive, but thusfar haven't run into anything I've felt was gated in a bothersome way in this particular game.

 

I'm a little confused at your conclusion, though. If someone's playing strictly solo, and not even joining in on chats on occasion, exactly how are they supposed to show off in the first place?

Short answer: PvP

Long answer: to kill the characters of other players. I also like to customize my own character (that's why I don't play shooters, also like to play as stealth class). And then there is exploration and (sometimes) open world PvP.

 

No need for group quests all day long (sure, they are fun from time to time, but that's not why I am around)

I think I've figured out the truth here...

 

The ONLY reason a person who wants to solo would play a massively MULTIPLAYER online RPG, a game that will certainly offer an inferior solo play experience than an actual single player game, is because they may not want to actually INTERACT with other players, but they still want to "show off" to them.

 

That's really what it boils down to: "Hey, complete stranger, look at how uberl337 I am! Please notice how much time I spent leveling to 50 and grinding warzones while never once saying a single word in chat so I could garner just a modicum of self-esteem to call my own as SOMEONE looks upon what I have and envies me for it!"

 

In case anyone is wondering, this is directed at all of the angry posts that complain bitterly about not being able to solo absolutely EVERY piece of content in this game

 

Apparently, these people don't realize that they have games where you CAN solo every piece of content in the game. They're called "single player games".

 

You know, this is an interesting point.

 

It also explains why these "casual gamers" who want to be able to solo everything want to be able to level up so quickly as well. That way they can get to the "endgame" as fast as possible and feel superior having the max level and the best gear.

 

So you may be on to something here. It may very well all be about "showing off". It's one of the only logical explanations I can think of.

Edited February 3, 2012 by JeremyDale

A better question might be why do people that don't like to solo in an MMO find it necessary to judge them, insult them, and suggest they quit, when without those solo players' subs, there's a good chance the MMO wouldn't be able to sustain itself?

 

I pretty much exclusively duo with my wife, and we absolutely love this game. When not duoing with my wife, I like to solo, and I find it great fun. Is having fun the wrong reason to play a video game, because I was under the impression it was the only reason to play a video game.

 

As for showing off, people who play solo have the worst gear in the entire game. What are you suggesting they're showing off? "Hey, look at me! My gears far inferior to yours!"

Sadly the reason I solo is because I never know how long I will be on or if I will be interrupted. I wouldn't want to subject a group to me constantly going afk.

 

Single player games just don't hold me anymore after I played my first mmo (EQ). If I had to pick I would play a mmo every day of the week.

 

I don't group but as a sage I will stop and help people with quest and do drive-by buffing and heals.

 

In single player games the world just seems dead but in an mmo with other players it is alive whether I talk/group with them or not. Kinda like the real world I guess ;D.

There are two definitions of "multiplayer". One is the the definition you are using; a group of players come together to achieve a similar goal. There is another though, and that is a large number of people playing on the same world, at the same time. And the two are not exclusive; both definitions of "multiplayer" happen simultaneously all the time in MMORPGs.

That's not fair, I group sometimes. I like that most theme parks now have quests set to soloable. I like how this game has daily repeating group content on planets as well as flashpoints, that's pretty fun. So I do occasionally group. Every so often I get yelled at by l33t ub3r d00dz (LUDs) for being horrible, which I am (I do my best), and that'll discourage me from playing in groups for awhile until I get my courage back up again.

 

Beyond that, believe it or not, I mostly play MMOs because of the mechanic and feature combination.

 

Yes, you can craft in some single player RPGs, like Skyrim, but you can't make your friends anything. You can walk up to a lowbie and inspect them and hand them an upgrade.

 

You if a friend decides they want to play Skyrim for a month (before they invariably get bored with it and leave), you can't play with them...unless I suppose you fire up some Steamspeak and talk about crap while you do completely separate things.

 

Combat. It's largely still based on rolls. Yes, there are some MMOs that are coming out (like Vindictus) which follow the whole "joystick-controller-go-mash-mash-quick-quick-kek-kek-i-fastz0rz-me-me-pew-pew" method of combat. But I don't like that.

 

It's too bad Bioware didn't hang on to Neverwinter Nights, that would have been a great MMO. Plus that really opened up community content, which also would be really cool in an MMO.

 

And while in this game it's gotten sparse, back in the old days...say, pre-2005, people actually talked in general. Yes, some of it was potty mouth crap, but for the most part, it was fun and civil and what not. Now days, no one talks. All the new kids where their little headsets and talk on chats. If they bother to type, they do it only in guild chats...and I've seen posts from some of you that even after joining a guild, that is a farce too, and people don't even chat much in guild chat...so sadly that's a lost art.

 

Changing content and updates. You could get a little of that with the original NWN, as people made their own mods, but it was a challenge sometimes to find quality ones.

 

So all sorts of reasons really, that don't necessarily involve 'only' doing things in groups with at least one other person.

Only 25% of WoW players raid.

70% of all guilds consist of 1 person.

 

I can't speak to the motivations of WHY these things are but the base data speaks for itself.

 

I'm in a guild because my wife's in the guild and it's hard as hell to find a pug. I WISH that more of the content was easily solo-able. I want to do the flash-points, I just don't want to need a group to do them at level. If the game allowed me to make a 4-man group for flash-points that were all my companions, GREAT.

 

Maybe it's that MMO's by their nature are expansive and constantly updated with content. Single player RPGs, even big *** ones like Fallout and Skyrim aren't as big as MMO's...economies of scale being what they are.

 

I know the content is what I'm most interested in. The social aspects are a bonus but not necessary to me, and clearly to some not wanted at all.

Well I have played solo for the most part so far, but that doesn't mean I haven't interacted with people. I prefer to do my missions solo. There is no waiting around, and I can play at my own pace. When I want to group I can. To me, that is what an mmo is. I find it strange when people say that a mmo is multiplayer, and people should group up to play. Just because there are other players in the same world it doesn't mean it's mandatory to group.

OP,

 

While your theory is undoubtedly true for a FEW players, I seriously doubt it is true for the majority of "solo" players. In my experience, the casual, solo kinds of players don't want to show off. It's the most hardcore raiders and PvPers who want to show off their leet gear and titles. (this is coming from someone who raided for years in WoW) Solo players just want something to do with as little hassle or external judgement from the foul-mouthed internet kiddies as they can get.

 

Here's my theory:

 

1. Even if you play solo, there are still interactions with other people. You chat. You can help each other if you happen to run into someone else where you are questing. There are markets.

 

Example, last night hunting a datacron on Alderaan, I had to blow open a wall to get to it. A person was standing in a safe spot nearby, and thanked me when I let her in. She didn't have the explosives to get past the wall, but working through all those mobs again would be so much trouble. This was a very gratifying experience for both of us, and not possible in a single player game.

 

2. There are no comparable solo games. MMOs are different than almost every solo game in that there is an expectation that you can devote immense amounts of time to develop characters very long term. Can you imagine playing the same character in KOTOR, or Dragon Age, or Mass Effect, or even a massive game like Skyrim constantly for 4-5 years? Of course not. In SWTOR there will be people who do just that, simply because timesink systems and new content keep coming out regularly.

 

3. The kind of game or IP you want to play doesn't exist as a solo game, but exists as an MMO. Where is the solo player KOTOR III? There isn't one. Where is the new Baldur's Gate? There isn't one. Where is the solo player version of WoW? There isn't one. Where is the single player LOTR RPG? There isn't one. Since you can't get that content or IP from a solo game but you CAN from an MMO, you play the MMO.

I really don't want to hold back an entire party on account of me, so I tend to solo. I still lend a hand when someone needs me, and still offer help, but I play solo because I know Murphy's Law applies every five minutes.

 

I've been soloing every class and when like it, I group for heroics and FPs.

 

I pretty much exclusively duo with my wife, and we absolutely love this game. When not duoing with my wife, I like to solo, and I find it great fun. Is having fun the wrong reason to play a video game, because I was under the impression it was the only reason to play a video game.

 

None of you are the type of soloer I'm talking about.

 

I'm speaking specifically to people who believe that EVERYTHING in this game should be soloable, even if that means taking 6 companions into an operation instead of finding a guild.

 

At a certain point, I can only conclude that these people must be doing this to flaunt their "phat lewts", since they avoid human interaction like the plague.

 

I'm a little confused at your conclusion, though. If someone's playing strictly solo, and not even joining in on chats on occasion, exactly how are they supposed to show off in the first place?

 

The same way they do in WoW: stand around in a capital city all day wearing your gear or on a rare mount.

Edited February 3, 2012 by TheRealDestian