Post by Morreion on Jan 2, 2010 9:03:27 GMT -5
Anti-Aliased: I, suck (Massively)
Back in DAoC, when I was a group leader, I'd pretty much accept anyone who wanted to join. I'm not talking about players that annoyed me, but players who weren't the best or who were a member of a 'gimp' class. In particular, the idea that a group should have nobody of X or Y class since they were gimp annoyed me because, well, I'd play gimp classes- my main was a Warden, enough said. I always disliked the philosophy that said you should be an exact build of the hottest class to be relevant. I guess I played more for social reasons that top-of-the-line efficiency. Now that doesn't mean that I wouldn't avoid actively unlikeable people- but someone who wasn't as skilled as others? I'd better stop logging in if I wanted to avoid that so I wouldn't inflict myself on others! It's a game, and if you improve in gameplay and have fun, that's what counts.
The Saga of Suck
How many times has a person dropped into your party only to not know what they're doing with their class or knowing how to handle a dungeon? How many times has a person jumped in with you in PvP only to die 40 gagillion times to an enemy's autoattack? If you've played an MMO for longer than 5 seconds, you probably have a story relating to someone sucking it up and how it frustrated you badly enough to make you plug pull just to get away from them.
But, we forget that it's a fact of life -- some people just aren't as good as other people. That's not something to be ashamed of or ridiculed for, especially if the person in question is trying to play his best game but just isn't making it. Yet the higher we go in an MMO's leveling system, the more pressure we put on other players to either play "right" or know exactly what they're doing.
How many times has a person dropped into your party only to not know what they're doing with their class or knowing how to handle a dungeon? How many times has a person jumped in with you in PvP only to die 40 gagillion times to an enemy's autoattack? If you've played an MMO for longer than 5 seconds, you probably have a story relating to someone sucking it up and how it frustrated you badly enough to make you plug pull just to get away from them.
But, we forget that it's a fact of life -- some people just aren't as good as other people. That's not something to be ashamed of or ridiculed for, especially if the person in question is trying to play his best game but just isn't making it. Yet the higher we go in an MMO's leveling system, the more pressure we put on other players to either play "right" or know exactly what they're doing.
The bottom line
All too often I hear whining from the more powerful players, "Why should I go out and help X? I'm not getting anything from that encounter." For being so smart and so on top of their game, you'd think they'd notice they were getting something out of the encounter.
Helping someone out with some gear, some lessons, some information, or some battle experience means you're gaining someone who can fight along side of you. You might not be getting virtual loot or more achievements to pin up on your wall, but you're getting something that's 10x more awesome.
You're grinding the experience to get yourself a brand new kickass party member.
All too often I hear whining from the more powerful players, "Why should I go out and help X? I'm not getting anything from that encounter." For being so smart and so on top of their game, you'd think they'd notice they were getting something out of the encounter.
Helping someone out with some gear, some lessons, some information, or some battle experience means you're gaining someone who can fight along side of you. You might not be getting virtual loot or more achievements to pin up on your wall, but you're getting something that's 10x more awesome.
You're grinding the experience to get yourself a brand new kickass party member.
Back in DAoC, when I was a group leader, I'd pretty much accept anyone who wanted to join. I'm not talking about players that annoyed me, but players who weren't the best or who were a member of a 'gimp' class. In particular, the idea that a group should have nobody of X or Y class since they were gimp annoyed me because, well, I'd play gimp classes- my main was a Warden, enough said. I always disliked the philosophy that said you should be an exact build of the hottest class to be relevant. I guess I played more for social reasons that top-of-the-line efficiency. Now that doesn't mean that I wouldn't avoid actively unlikeable people- but someone who wasn't as skilled as others? I'd better stop logging in if I wanted to avoid that so I wouldn't inflict myself on others! It's a game, and if you improve in gameplay and have fun, that's what counts.
