OP is complaining that the most solo driven MMO like ever created, isn't solo enough...purchased knowing full well it was a M...M...O.

I'm giving up on humanity, we are doomed.

For being to "shy" I am wondering how you are carrying on this forum conversation? It is pretty much the same thing, except you hit more buttons in a flashpoint.

Yeah pretty much. I suffer from pretty bad social anxiety but online interaction does make it quite easy. granted I struggle some times when I have to stand up against other players, but this is more of an assertiveness thing than anything.

It really isn't like real life anyway. When things get too hairy you can always quit out of the game, as opposed to sitting there with your skin burning.

If you can write on a forum you can write in a game. Learn and adapt. Or you will never get better ^^.

LOL exactly . OP, just pretend you're on an animated forum thread when you do flashpoints and all should be well.

So I just found out that Flashpoints apparently contain the best game content in terms of story and such, and I'm really ticked off about it. I'm incredibly shy (technically I have a social anxiety disorder), and thus hate being relied on by -- or even talking to -- other players. I only purchased the game (emptying my metaphorical piggy-bank to do so) after reading something a BioWare employee said in an interview about SWTOR being designed for solo players as well as the more sociable ones. I guess I should have done more research.

 

This is particularly frustrating because I loved KOTOR and wanted to see the continuation of the story, which is the main reason why I, as a solo player, wanted to play this MMO in the first place. Why would BioWare do this? Why wouldn't they put in an option for playing flashpoints on a lower difficulty made for solo players? Why should they care how I play the game as long as I pay for it?

 

/rant

I know how you feel. I have similar issues.

That said, I would suggest soloing the some of the FPs once you reach 50. As for the ones you can't solo, just stick to normal modes and read up on the fights so you know what to do.

If your anxiety is so severe that you really can't talk to people, you'll need professional help. Ask your doctor about psychiatrists and therapists in your area. An anxiety disorder isn't something a person can overcome on their own any more than they could overcome strep throat without antibiotics. A good therapist and the right medications can really make a difference. It takes hard work but the results are worth it. Ignore the people who tells you otherwise, they are ignorant.

You're upset because when you choose not to group with other players, you miss certain aspects of content in a MULTIPLAYER game?

 

You get a metric shedton of content and story that as a single player you can enjoy. You expected to be able to do EVERYTHING solo? Either you need to suck it up and accept that you can't do everything in a multiplayer game without sometimes grouping, or you need to pick a single player game to play.

 

Also if your metaphorical piggy bank is only a few dollars, you sure as hell can't responsibly afford a monthly subscription.

I know i can go run the first flash point (havent tried others) completely solo and im not 50, i would have to look into it more, but you can at least do 1.

As far as story content goes, most of the FPs I've played have been rather shallow. I'm only level 32 right now (so haven't played all the FPs), but The Esseles is the only one on the Republic side that had any significant dialog options/story to it so far. The Jedi Prisoner mission (Taral V and Maelstrom Prison FPs) looks like it might also have some story to it.

As far as gear goes...some of the best pieces I've gotten out of FPs have been oranges. To my understanding, you should be able to keep orange gear on par with most other gear in the game by keeping your upgrades/mods up-to-date. So, if you find an orange piece by questing somewhere else, then you really aren't missing out in that aspect.

So I just found out that Flashpoints apparently contain the best game content in terms of story and such, and I'm really ticked off about it. I'm incredibly shy (technically I have a social anxiety disorder), and thus hate being relied on by -- or even talking to -- other players. I only purchased the game (emptying my metaphorical piggy-bank to do so) after reading something a BioWare employee said in an interview about SWTOR being designed for solo players as well as the more sociable ones. I guess I should have done more research.

 

This is particularly frustrating because I loved KOTOR and wanted to see the continuation of the story, which is the main reason why I, as a solo player, wanted to play this MMO in the first place. Why would BioWare do this? Why wouldn't they put in an option for playing flashpoints on a lower difficulty made for solo players? Why should they care how I play the game as long as I pay for it?

 

/rant

Because they're not making a game for YOU they're making a game for EVERYONE.

While this game is way too singleplayer as it is for my tastes, it still is an MMO which means getting used to talking with people.

Someone with crippling social anxiety playing an mmo is like someone who can't swim trying to hang out in a pool

Lately I have been in more and more PUG where people do not even react to 'Hello' when they join.

Doing flashpoints probably wont be much of a problem either.

And yes, the flashpoints usually tell a bit of the background story.

As someone who has his own social anxiety hang ups, I can understand where you're coming from. But actually, this game is fairly friendly to that kind of mentality! Especially if you're goal is to enjoy the story.

While there are some flashpoints that carry out a good bit of story, a lot of the plot seems to play out through your class storyline or the planetary storylines. The good news is that for these, you can experience the entire story solo! Unlike a few other games I can think off where if you want to finish the storyline in an area, you'd have to find a group and do a few group quests (that always drove me nuts).

I haven't run into any heroic quests (2 or 4 person) that are absolutely necessary to understanding the plot. Oh they'll flesh it out a bit more maybe, but it's not like the big conclusion to the planet's story arc will make you group up. It's one of the things I've really enjoyed about this game so far.

Sadly, at the moment at least, when you finish all your storylines and hit max level, there's not exactly a ton of options beyond grouping. Dailies, space missions, running in circles around the fleet and admiring everyone else's armor? But until they add more max level solo content (if they do? I think I heard someone around mention it in the pipelines but it wasn't in yellow, so I don't know if there's anything official on it) you can also explore one of the other 7 class storylines, experience the game from the other faction's side, and level up another character.

Also it might be easier if you find a casual PvE guild to join, maybe grouping with some of the same people each time will be less pressure than a group of strangers.

yes, what this guy said. if your guild mates know about the social disorder then it would be better since if you didn't reply they wouldn't be offended. Hope this helps.

Hello there,

We appreciate your post and thought you might also find the thread, "Hi, I'm Chris, and I'm shy" helpful. It is an introduction thread for new players and you might find some players with similar interests and experiences to yours. Hope this helps!