From Raph Koster’s notes on GDC… a stunning insight into the innovation WoW brought to the MMO realm… given the chance, players only group less than a third of their playtime and for the vast bulk of their playtime, like playing solo, but still chatting and being part of the community.
This is why I hardly play EQ1 anymore. Sitting LFG for three to four hours just to get a horrid pickup group because as a cleric there were no other options took all the fun from the game.
In WoW, EQ2 and LotRO… I can be part of the world without having to be part of a group. And that’s the takeaway lesson here.
From the PARC guys. Q: why do players spend so much time playing alone? Players who said they were playing for others, were actually not doing so. They only play with others 30% of the time. The rest,they played alone. Players favoried the soloable classes by a high degree. 56% of WoW players are not guilded. Or if they are, they are the sole member. So, there’s a new middl ground to social play. They take the gamers are their word, but gamers get the benefits form shared presence, little or now directed interaction. Playing “together alone.†Any MP game can take advantage of this middle ground.
I have been thinking a lot about this very concept lately. I am an EQII player and fan.
Whilst I enjoy a good group to run a dungeon or instance on occasion, I want to be able to achieve things by myself and not be trounced at every corner. I like the idea of being able to take the time and just enjoy the game experience. I also dont always want to be playing with the responsibilities that come with being a groups healer ALL the time.
I believe you can be part of the world and contribute to it as a mainly solo adventurer. In fact, I would argue that if a MMORG does not have that available to people then it is greatly limiting its potential market.
I dont have statistics but believe that many people are like myself and my husband. We dont often have the large blocks of free time needed to dedicate to raiding and regular instances – but I LOVE the game. Most of the time I need to just be able to log on for a brief little adventure but feel as though i am achieving something (no matter how small) towards my character.
I love the immersive lore of the EQII world, I love the crafting system. I love the variety in zones – The jungle world of Feerrott, the snowy Everfrost, the blazing deserts in Sinking Sands, the rocky landscape of Zek. I also know that zones such as Nek Castle, the Ruins of Varsoon, Runnyeye Citadel are just not doable unless I am part of a group – and that is fine by me.
But if you dont give me (and many other players) content so that I can be part of the world without being part of a group a significant amount of my playtime – then you wont have my subsription.