Monday, August 16, 2010

Words That Have No Meaning.

Soloing, Low-manning, efficiency. It seems to me that these words have lost all meaning. Soloing doesn't mean soloing anymore. Today it means finding a slow, glitchy or bindable mob, and then casting Poison and Bio II for hours at a time. That's not soloing. That doesn't take skill. It just takes an anti-social personality type and a lot of patience. I respect people that solo things as a test of skill. Soloing Limbus back in the day. Soloing anything where if a spell fails to land you are pretty much dead. That takes skill in my eyes. Boring a mob to death is not skill. Stop acting like it is skill.

If you take longer to kill a mob than it's respawn time, then you suck. There is nothing more to it. You don't suck at playing the game. You suck at soloing. Soloing used to be about efficiency. After the test of skill, the reason people soloed Limbus was to collect coins faster than with a group. That doesn't apply to Chukwa. If you are soloing Chukwa, then you are just wasting time. You don't have proper TH. You don't have friends.

Yes, yes, there are always exceptions. You work nights and don't have any JP friends. You just changed servers (though it does beg the question). You really are testing your skills. These are all fine exceptions. And everyone uses them as an excuse, but I think for the most part these are just covers for two things: Greed and Anti-social behavior.

Here is my real issue with soloing a lot of things now: You aren't just fucking other people (you obviously don't care about them already if you are taking 50 minutes to kill Chukwa), you are fucking yourself over. If you just ask a couple of your friends (if you have any), you can kill most mobs ten times faster, with a much higher drop rate, if you just agree to do the same thing for your friends.

Maybe I am just lucky and have amazing friends. Friends that don't just want to do stuff with our LS, but also want to do things just as a group. Friends that are just as happy when I get gear as they are when they get gear. I do have amazing friends, but I don't think it is a special circumstance. I think many people can have friends if they want them. But greed leads to anti-social behavior, and that is what soloing means to me now (with the previously mentioned exceptions). Soloing is about greed plain and simple.

Anything that can be soloed can be done far more efficiently with a small group. And anything that can be done with a small group can be done more efficiently with a larger group. Yes, there is absolutely a point where having more people becomes less efficient when it comes to gear, but I don't think most people that "solo" are even close to that balance.

13 comments:

Samonez said...

I agree with this entire thing.


Why people would wanna take so long to solo something is beyond me.



Though I will readily admit that I once soloed a mission that I could have had help on just because that was gonna help me said I wouldn't be able to solo it. I proved him wrong.

Starcade said...

Look, we get that the game is about having friends, fuck the rules or anything else...

Some of us, though, don't trust the likes of you, so soloing would be the way to go then, think that not?

Ringthree said...

Starcade, you are the anti-social personality type I am describing in the post.

CidBahamut said...

Having friends to help you tear down a NM is nice and all, but I wouldn't presume to nag them to help me camp it 5 times in a row, or 10, or 20, or however long it takes the R.N.G. gods to take pity on me. Soloing is a nice option for those people who don't want to constantly be a bother to their friends just because they want a silly piece of equipment to use as town gear that's a pain in the ass to get. Although somehow I don't think that's what you was ruffling your feathers.

Starcade said...

I figured as such, since, of course, to be social in this game, you need Windower, four illegal 3PP's, and God knows how much "stroke" with your friends.

No thanks, Ringthree. I won't bow to anyone just to get a Skadi.

If you think I play this game to be social, you're entirely laughable.

Ringthree said...

Starcade, thank you for being the example I point to when I make arguments like this. It's almost like you are being ironic at this point.

Qtipus said...

Is it almost always the case that the socially inept blame their ineptitude on everyone but themselves? Or try to hide their ineptitude behind some morally just cause no one gives a shit about?

"The world is against me, but I'm going to keep on fighting/destroying until everyone understands."

Sounds like the makings of the classic FF antagonist.

Or an Islamic/Muslim extremist.

Take your pick.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like umad

Ringthree said...

If this "umad" comment is directed at me then...

Hi, welcome to my blog, this is obviously the first post you have ever read it. My blog has a bit of angry flair to it, and it has always been that way because I think people might enjoy it more than e-peen stroking or vanilla commentary.

While it is obvious that you appear to be a master of internet prose, I would like to inform you that trite meta-commentary does not make a good substitute for insight.

I know that might be a bit much for your internet addled mind to handle, so let me translate for you and use words that you might more simply understand.

Do you live in a fucking box?

Thank you,
The Management.

Starcade said...

Irony, no.

Just the fact that I do not play this game simply to be social.

I won't bow to people playing with illegal bullshit just to get the gear to be what you and yours would consider "socially acceptable".

Ringthree said...

Tons of people still play on PS2 and XBox 360. No one is required to use anything.

The problem is just that you are a jerk and no one wants to help you.

Afania said...

I don't agree with you. Although having a group of friends to do stuff is easier and faster, but you're just wasting your friend's time and their $12 a month for your personal gain(If the NM is solo/low-mannable). Soloing or low-manning is certainly not anti-social. Everytime you killed an NM, only 1~2 ppl can get the drop and be happy, what about other 10~16 ppl? They just waste their time and killed the NM for you and get nothing. You mentioned doing stuff in a large group is more efficient, but that's not true. The more ppl you gather, the more time you'll spend, especially everyone all have their schedule for their events and rl.

Maybe some players enjoy to see their friends get gear and they get nothing, but certainly not everyone. If you want to social you can social in /tell or LS chat whatever, but when it comes to spending time and getting the drops, it's the realistic thing.

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