Thoughts on a solo instance

If this game was an MMO, I'd be dead set against something like this, but as the game plays now...yeah, sure, why not!

It's a valid playstyle. It should be catered to.

This won't stop people who want to group from grouping. It just gives them something else to do as well.

Add content progression, and gear progression to match - using Presence gear and special companion gear to make it specific to this content line - and it's one more thing for people to do. It also leaves another sort of player to come in, pay sub fees, and get drawninto other areas of the game as well.

Next time 'think' harder

The OP proposed ONE solo instance. Something Bioware themselves have said they're going to introduce anyway (bare with me, looking for the link). One instance...not every instance will be made soloable but just one new one for those that like to mix up their gaming between grouping AND solo play.

Your sig needs a bit more thought too imo

I'm not saying it isn't a valid playstyle, in fact I solo more than I group in MMOs. I do not, however, believe that a solo playstyle should yield the same experience nor rewards that grouping does. Giving solo play the sort of progression you speak of negates any incentive for people to group. Yes, many people group because they like to group, but the rest group because they want the stuff grouping gets.

See, I respect what you're saying here, but I fundamentally disagree.

Grouping should be the incentive to grouping. Playing with your friends to have fun. If incentives are required to get folks to group, then clearly grouping isn't what they WANT to do. And why would you try to convince them to do something they don't want to do? '

MMOs should be massively multiplayer in that the option to do either should be be there.

Are you suggesting that if group content garnered the same basic rewards as solo content, you'd never group?

People don't group for the rewards. They group because they like grouping better, and it just happens to work out that the group content gets them better rewards.

I solo, duo with my wife, and I group, and I can tell you in my experience, grouping is not harder than any other playstyle. Being part of a 4 man group is remarkably easy. Far easier than, say, when my wife and I duo. By that reasoning, should duoing in this game garner the best gear?

For the record, I don't think it should. I don't think any playstyle should have "incentives." If you have to have incentives to play a certain way, then it means there aren't enough people that would play without it.

Multiplayer games should offer multiplayer for those that love it and single player for those that love it. This "incentive" stuff is never something I've agreed with. Grouping up and playing with others IS the incentive.

This is where I respectfully disagree with you. The whole reason for grouping, in games and anywhere really is to be able to overcome obstacles and achieve success that one cannot possibly do alone.

Now, I'm not against rewards for solo play, and I even think the idea of a separate solo instance is kind of cool, but I still don't think the rewards should be the same as those achieved from people who work together with other people. I'm fine with solo players getting their own epics, but they shouldn't be the same level as flashpoint gear which shouldn't be the same level as operations gear.

If you take away the challenge from group content and make it soloable, the vast majority of players will just solo. That's because they want the easiest path to reward, it's human nature. There will be no "grouping for the sake of grouping".

will with out LFG, I would actually sign up for another month if they allowed all the Flash Points to be done solo. They should put in a solo mode in every Flash Point in the game. I mean the game already feels like a single player game as it is, why not just make it more single player and add to it. This game is already sinking, yesterday I was listening to gamesradar and they were laughing at how EA said that 300K subs decided not to activate their accounts. Basically SWTOR sold million boxes and 1.million signed up for their free month. New rumors are out that in the second month they had a 50% retention rate (about K subs). Bioware has come out and said that at 90 days they will put out a road map but SWTOR has performed below expectation. While listing to blizzard yearly call they only lost K subs in their most competitive month (December) and wow is 10.2 million subs at the end of an expansion. When diablo comes out SWTOR will lose number and when MoP comes out WoW will go up to 11 million for a couple of months and then drop back down to 10 million again and probably do this until the next blizzard mmo comes out - titan.

i disagree with you, i think you should be able to get the best gear, no matter what you do. I think if you like to raid then you should be able to get gear, if want to do only daily quest and do solo stuff then you should be able to get gear and so on. Thats why I am hap in MoP there going to give you different ways of getting gear, quest, pvp, instances and raids. I think thats what blizzard learned over time.

Which is no reason not to give soloers different stuff which isn't actually useful for group stuff?

The incentive is generally in terms of things that they want to do. They want that gear FOR something. Or maybe they just want to see the content. Having solo progression content that doesn't override or take away from the group content will not reduce the incentive to group.

This could be a good idea! When someone wants to play, but want to do so alone, they can still have fun with some solo content!

Dont answer to does dumb flamers, they arent worth your time! when I see some people's post on your thread, I understant some players want to solo at times, no one wants to play with them!