I love to help people. However, it seems that there are a lot of people around lately who straddle the line of someone who asks for help and someone who is a beggar. Here I have compiled some thoughts on the difference and how to make yourself more likely to get help.

 

Most people who ask for help are generally well-meaning. Most are stuck and/or are horribly undergeared for their level and situation or just need some pointers to help them along their way. These are the best subjects for giving help to. Perhaps there is something about the mechanics that they are not understanding. Perhaps they need to be shown a better rhythm for combat. Maybe they need to be shown how to make money off of their loot so that they can later afford training and upgrades? I love to teach these kind of folks. Often enough, if I feel that they are being receptive and are working to get better, I will craft them up a bunch of armor and/or a weapon to help them get along.

 

Then there is the blind request for help via a tell like I received on Alderaan lately.

 

Player: "Hey can u help me with my class quest."

Me: "Sure can. However, I am in the middle of something. Can you hang out about 5 mins while I wrap it up?"

Player: "ok hurry tho i wanna move on and this is hard"

 

At this point I am a little irritated that I was told to hurry. Anyways, just as I am about ready, the game crashed. I logged back in to Alderaan and looked up the /who window because I remembered the name but not the funky spelling and I see him in the window... he is level 20.

 

Me: Hey man. I hate to tell you, but you are seriously underleveled for this planet. That is why you are having a hard time. You really should go all the way back to Nar Shaddaa and do the quests that you missed through there.

 

Player: I only like to do class quests.

 

Me: How did you get this far?

 

Player: I talked people into helping me.

 

Me: At this point, I would not be helping you, I would be doing it for you.

 

Player: <silence>

 

Me: I am going to have to rescind my offer to help. You really need to go get some levels.

 

From there I was told that I was rude because I made him wait and that I am not a good community person.

 

Folks, asking folks to essentially do things for you is not the way to ask for help.

 

Be receptive to the knowledge.

 

Understand that all ways of making money do take even at least a minimal effort on your part.

 

A lot of helpers will go out of their way to help you above and beyond what you asked for if it looks like you are trying hard at things.

 

Lastly, and probably most important... COURTESY. Please have some. It goes a LONG way into getting the help that you need.

 

 

I apologies that this thread is a bit scattered, the baby woke up in the middle of my typing it and shattered my entire thought process on it and I had to wing it from there.

I had to deal with a similar situation. A level 12 needed help with his quest at the Jedi Temple Ruins on Coruscant. I noticed he skipped tons of quests, and asked him why. He said, I just wanted to do the class quests too. I told him that he was underlevel, and that I wasn't going to just do it for him. He did get a little annoyed, but he eventually agreed with me, and I helped him go through a lot of the quests he skipped and get him to level 15.

Ah yes, the wonders of youth that Free-to-Play brings...

You really think any of these people visit the forum? They don't.

You really think any of these people visit the forum? They don't.

 

They can't post, so why bother?

Ah yes, the wonders of youth that Free-to-Play brings...

 

that's funny because the first time I was asked to help someone do the mentioned quest at the jedi temple was.... in January

Ah yes, the wonders of youth that Free-to-Play brings...

 

The problems have very little to do with F2P members. This game has more than it's share of less than savory subscribed players.

I had a person ask me for help with a class quest that seemed bugged so I did my best to try to talk him through it since I wasn't in a position to actually go to him and assist.

I looked it up online and helped him retrace his steps to see if he missed anything along the way.

Ultimately I think the problem was that he missed the turn-in and just jumped ahead to the fleet.

 

Anyway, when it was done, he asked me for money and gear.

I agree completely OP. this issue may have been exaggerated by the new influx of players, but isn't isolated to them. I've had this issue arise multiple time since the game began.

 

I understand why players would want to do story quests only, or to want to play in their own way. but they have to accept the fact that the game wasn't DESIGNED in the way they want, and they certainly can't expect other players to sacrifice their time to solely support that.

 

I usually will go out of my way (and spend a good deal of my personal play time) to help people in game when I am really helping them, and not just hand-walking them through content. But I refuse to carry anyone through the game or waste my time on them if that's all they want.

Just let that person get to Quesh, at that point he/she won't be able to get onto the surface until a certain level has been reached (they need to talk to the commando medic in the orbital station at that point and the NPC has a grey quest marker until they are high enough level to speak to them), so essentially the class quests will stop right there and they will have to level doing something else :-)

Yeh I don't like people who ask for help because they are way underleveled and start making demands when you offer help.

 

At that point I stop being helpful instantly. If they give me grief in the middle of a quest I will just leave. If people aren't grateful for the help, there's no reason for me to do so.

A general rule I adopted a few years ago (seeing as the average player base seems to have devolved over time in MMOs) is that I will help someone if I am passing by and they ask for help or I see they are struggling with something. But I politely refuse all requests via whisper and ignore requests in the chat channels.

 

It has served me well personally, and it avoids the under leveled rather well too.

Just let that person get to Quesh, at that point he/she won't be able to get onto the surface until a certain level has been reached (they need to talk to the commando medic in the orbital station at that point and the NPC has a grey quest marker until they are high enough level to speak to them), so essentially the class quests will stop right there and they will have to level doing something else :-)

 

yep, the quest unlocks at 33 to get innoculated.

 

i was getting alts up to act 2 completion asap to get companion presence unlocks, i hit the quesh wall on a few characters since i was getting guildies or randoms to help me thru class quests.

 

i would usually offer 10-15k per class quest that a person helped me with so that was always a way to get some quick help. once i had the class quests for quesh i just did FPs and repeatedly until i got to 33.

 

almost all the characters can unlock all companions' presence with act 2 completion besides a few companions (ones you get on belsavis or that require act 3 to be done)

I just want to jump in here as a new player with many many questions most of the time.

 

IF I ask for help it is usually INFORMATION. I type a specific question in general usually with a please. Now I usually get 2 very different responses. The first is out and out misinformation or trolling (unhelpful but I have played other games it IS expected). The second is the answer often in whisper from someone.

 

Out in the world? If I ask for help it is usually more of a looking for more people for a group quest. MOST of my experiences with this have been good. Last night I had one that totally baffled me. I answered someones advert LFM on a quest I needed telling them that I was new and hadn't done this one before. I was invited to the group. Then I noticed where they were waiting was not where my map said the quest was so I asked them where we needed to meet up. I got kicked from the group. When I whispered them I was on ignore. HUH?

 

Though I agree there are many people out there who are taking advantage of kind people I would make a small plea for patience with those of us who are genuinely new and confused about how things work here.

Though I agree there are many people out there who are taking advantage of kind people I would make a small plea for patience with those of us who are genuinely new and confused about how things work here.

 

You are the kind of player that most of us likes to help.

If someone asks for help with a mission, my first instinct is to offer advice, as that's what I would want first and foremost if I am having trouble with a particular quest. However, it seems most people asking for help just want to whine until someone comes and does the mission for them. And heaven forbid you should point out that by doing it themselves, they are preparing themselves for HARDER content that will crop up on the way to level 50.

 

If you can't beat a level 30 class quest - when you are level 34 - how the hell do you think you're going to handle the endgame boss at level 50 when you are only allowed to be level 50?

 

I'm not against helping people who TRY the advice once it's given (if people tell you to use your CCs, go into long detail about what a CC is and not to use AoEs around it and 5 seconds later you say "it didn't work, someone just come help me!" you didn't really try it and you're just a whiny brat) and still can't do it, but I will then look at level before helping. If you are trying to beat a quest 4 levels higher than you I'll refuse and tell you to level up and then come ask me if you still need assistance.

 

And let's not forget gear. Why do so many people think it's okay to still be wearing level 20 greens at level 35+(just an example, but I have seen such huge differences in armor and the person just can't figure out why they can't do the quest).

 

But other posts are right. The people who do this are not the ones who come to the forum. Come on, they're too lazy to level up their own character (and put more work into getting people to do the missions for them than it would take to go level up and do it themselves), do you really think they're going to come read something?

 

PS: I will help for credits no matter what (as that's usually a sign the person knows the mechanics and is leveling an alt, so they're not just whiny brats, they're just trying to see the story or some other mechanic unlock. Oh and credits are just good incentive).

Edited November 26, 2012 by Prettyevilish

Ah yes, the wonders of youth that Free-to-Play brings...

 

I witnessed a conversation almost identical to the one in the original post, and it was well before F2P even came out.

I had a person ask me for help with a class quest that seemed bugged so I did my best to try to talk him through it since I wasn't in a position to actually go to him and assist.

I looked it up online and helped him retrace his steps to see if he missed anything along the way.

Ultimately I think the problem was that he missed the turn-in and just jumped ahead to the fleet.

 

Anyway, when it was done, he asked me for money and gear.

 

Lol! I had something similar happen. Helped a group with a heroic on Bel. I was on my way to do my dailies when I got a blind invite from some 40's. I thought, Ok. I understand.

 

So... we went in and took care of business. Afterward they were very appreciative, friended me and went their separate ways.

 

All but one guy. He said he need more help with gear etc. So, I had a few things he might be able to use so I gave them to him. No charge. No problem. Well... then he said he wanted to give me something. I thought, cool. Good peeps. In the trade window he put one companion gift. I hit trade, but it didn't work. He wanted 20k. I said no. He got insulted and stormed off. ***? I just laughed and went back to my dailies.

Edited November 26, 2012 by Rafaman

Ah yes, the wonders of youth that Free-to-Play brings...

 

riiiiight, cause this community was full of flowers and sparkles before F2P was launched. ha!

 

 

You really think any of these people visit the forum? They don't.

 

this is very true. they dont care enough about common courtesy, and they dont care enough to read through the OPs tips and suggestions on how to be nicer.

Two proverbs:

God helps those who help themselves.

Give somebody an inch and he'll take a mile.

 

And the test phrase: "I have an alt on your level, let me relog and we do this together".

 

And then all is clear!

 

And the test phrase: "I have an alt on your level, let me relog and we do this together".

 

And then all is clear!

 

Problem is with someone like me, my answer to that phrase is: "Great TYVVM I really appreciate it."