The appeal of soloing

[Sekani]

I'm well aware of some of the reasons why people solo. Some do it because they want rares, others because they hate people. But... do the people that solo actually enjoy it?

I've tried solo rare-hunting, and it will rank among the most excruciatingly un-fun video game experiences I have ever had. No S-rank is worth that level of torture. Yet people do it all the time, both online and offline. And for some reason they seem to love it.

Why? I understand people have different preferences and all that, but to me this is like someone enjoying jumping into a pile of tacks. Just looking for a little insight into what makes soloing, rare-hunting in particular, so appealing to people.

[Randomness]

Well, some people can solo S/S2 in under 20 mins... so...

[Sekani]

On 2008-02-14 16:41, Randomness wrote:
Well, some people can solo S/S2 in under 20 mins... so...


...so, it's still twenty minutes of hell that I can do without. Unless you were trying to make another point.

[Gemel]

I usually solo all the time because thats all I can do with the time I have and because of the constant breaks I take hehe xD.
I also solo because I choose to do the mission I want to do, I don't like doing tons of White Beast missions over and over. I leave my games open incase anyone wants to join but I guess it doesn't help I always play on a random universe xP

[SStrikerR]

When you really want something, you just get a certain drive in you that makes you able to do it, no matter how long it takes. I used to hate soloing, and i still do, but when I solo looking for my Psycho wand, I'm fine with 50 minute runs.

[Randomness]

On 2008-02-14 16:44, Sekani wrote:

On 2008-02-14 16:41, Randomness wrote:
Well, some people can solo S/S2 in under 20 mins... so...


...so, it's still twenty minutes of hell that I can do without. Unless you were trying to make another point.



20 minutes is only about twice the time a fast party would take, but with a much higher chance of getting the rare.

Also, some things are not worth risking a party for, like Madams.

[Sekani]

OK, but what I really want to know is, do people who solo actually enjoy it, or do you just feel it's something you have to do?

[DEM_CIG]

Its all 4 the rares... i do it sumtimes.

[Proto07]

It is torture. It seems no one wants to do the runs I want to. (missions that drop crap for gunners)

I was in uni 01 earlier and I was the only party running DG. =/

[Sekani]

On 2008-02-14 16:47, Randomness wrote:
Also, some things are not worth risking a party for, like Madams.


I guess this is where I just disagree with the majority then. There is nothing in this game I want badly enough to solo for it. Nothing.

[SStrikerR]

On 2008-02-14 16:50, Sekani wrote:
OK, but what I really want to know is, do people who solo actually enjoy it, or do you just feel it's something you have to do?

I semi-enjoy it, and semi-feel like I have to do it..I can't explain.

[Mikura]

On 2008-02-14 16:39, Sekani wrote:
I'm well aware of some of the reasons why people solo. Some do it because they want rares, others because they hate people. But... do the people that solo actually enjoy it?

I've tried solo rare-hunting, and it will rank among the most excruciatingly un-fun video game experiences I have ever had. No S-rank is worth that level of torture. Yet people do it all the time, both online and offline. And for some reason they seem to love it.

Why? I understand people have different preferences and all that, but to me this is like someone enjoying jumping into a pile of tacks. Just looking for a little insight into what makes soloing, rare-hunting in particular, so appealing to people.



I'll pipe in on this. I mainly solo for S ranks and although they may not be worth it to you, for me, it is. But I also enjoy it. Yes, enjoy it. Hunting for a rare you want desperately is fun and it's deeply gratifying when you do find it. That's why I prefer to get my own S-ranks via soloing compared to simply trading. Sure, trading will get you an S-rank but there's no sense of accomplishment. To me, that's what makes soloing fun and enjoyable.

That said, I also enjoy partying with others, but only with friends. Truthfully, playing with MOST (not all) random parties is like jumping into a "pile of tacks" for me. Maybe if more people knew how to play their jobs and weren't so greedy, I'd enjoy it more.

[Desecration]

The reason I solo is because there is a lot of stupid fucking people in this world, and personally, I don't feel like dealing with them.

[gryphonvii]

I sometimes enjoy it, depends on the mission, but I prefer to be in a party or to be in private chat with someone over live.

[Dragwind]

Its generally torture if you're looking for S ranks, even if you can speed run the maps pretty fast (20 mins, <15mins etc) imo.

The only times I've done it were when I wanted something really really bad, and well, I had the RL time to spare. I no longer do, so screw that.

However sometimes I do enjoy the occasional solo. Not often, only about 2-3 runs every 2 days or so. Sometimes I actually find it fun because it reminds you that there can still be a challenge in the game at times when you have full blown mob aggro aimed at only you. This in turn will cause you to realize your class potential and the versatility you may have and not used before.

Hell, I've even seen some general players who at some point wanted something really really bad. They would end up hunting for quite some time, soloing the map on their own. Next time I'd see them, I noticed they substantially improved in how they play their class.

However, thats the only good I myself see coming out of any soloing. For some people, it helps them learn to play a bit better or more effectively.

The time of your life that you waste is horridly boring, especially since you have no one to talk to in the party, or fighting alongside with you. Most of the time your soloing ends in vain as well. Not my idea of a pleasurable gaming experience.

[Inazuma]

psu has no challenge at all, its pathetic. soloing is horribly easy but playing w/ others is just a total joke. i enjoy a challenge. but if the game actually had a challenge, it would be a lot more fun playing w/ others.

that aside, the main reason i solo is b/c its better. i can clear rafon relics s2 in about 12-14 mins solo w/ my FT. if i play w/ others, that time isnt gonna drop too much. even if the other members are very strong (and who isnt very strong at this point?) the monsters are just too dam weak. oftentimes we just slow each other down. instead of all the monsters walking directly to me to be slaughtered in 3 hits, they are spread around the room.

sometimes 2 member parties mite work out alrite, but thats pretty much my limit. anymore is usually overkill.

the most effective way to do party play, would be to split up as much as possible. sigh, its the opposite of what it should be. sonic team, give us lv 200+ monsters now, please.

on a side note, im really looking forward to battle mode in the dengeki event. and i really hope we can use our actual chars in it. it was hard to find anyone to battle me w/ rule 1 in pso, but when i did, it was a lot of fun.

[superdood22]

http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_smile.gif



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: superdood22 on 2008-02-14 17:11 ]</font>


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: superdood22 on 2008-02-14 17:13 ]</font>

[Doh42]

I enjoy partying, I enjoy soloing.

Most often than not, soloing provides me the challenge and fiero (one of the key reason people play video game: Hard Fun, challenge, etc. Read up on Nicole Lazaro to learn more) while partying provides me with the social fun, having friends around, chatting, taking it easy and knowing the mission will be a breeze.

Partying, there's no mission that are even remotely challenging. As far as rares go, me and my bunch of friends have pretty varied jobs so we usually just "call ahead" the rares we'd love, if they drop, and we let the people who claimed them have it when they do. It's not like a fighgunner has anything to do with a S rank spear, sword, axe or rod [b], and money's easier to find than running water.

[hiraisho]

I solo when I'm hunting items or I'm just gonna run a single mission. I love PSU's battle system so I have just as much fun going solo as I do going with a group. Soloing is also more of a challenge and with certain levels I enjoy that challenge. Now Gaozorans... unghh I hated soloing those until I got good fire armor and a freeze/resist. Not so bad to kill now.

[PALRAPPYS]

I don't enjoy soloing... however, I have been as of late.

Since my luck is in the dumps (My luck of the year was Sunday with a [b] Blackheart and [b] Cubo Tuma), I just have to get really lucky. Mostly it takes me around 30-50 runs to get what I want.

I generally allow people to join when I solo if they're willing to give up what I'm searching for, that's fine. Too bad nobody really asks... http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_frown.gif

[Kaloa]

I enjoy playing games alone. Teams make me feel pressured to keep up, or to play differently from how I'd prefer. When I solo I can go at my own pace.

I actually don't play online games for the community or for the chance to play with others. I play for updated content, rare hunting, and the grind. You don't really get those things with traditional offline RPG's.

[xXInvidiaXx]

On 2008-02-14 16:41, Randomness wrote:
Well, some people can solo S/S2 in under 20 mins... so...



My record for De Ragan S2 is 12 minutes http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_clown.gif

When I solo It's for rarez AND because I don't like people.

Most random parties I join fall apart or have some jackass spamming Chikki or Majarra the entire time :/

[VanHalen]

I solo sometimes just for the challenge of it. I'm not going to find any rares regardless so it doesn't matter. I used to hate soloing since it was boring and I was too lazy to fight hundreds of enemies that can one shot me but if I have some time and I don't feel like partying I'll solo a mission for a little while.

[Aorre]

I agree with Dragwind; soloing helps develop a good handling of their character. The best way to do this would be to start playing alone with a gradual increase in stage difficulty and length. Soon enough, the time taken to complete missions will decrease, and everything becomes easier alone.

I always keep my pallette solo-friendly, even in team parties, simply because other players are generally unreliable (i.e. going afk, leveling Photon Arts in-game, chatting/cut-in chat spamming, immense knockback, etc). Always be prepared =D

[Powder Keg]

I usually only solo when I either really want something, or when I don't have a choice.

At Raffon Field base yesterday on Uni2, there were nothing but locked rooms. Sad. You'd think the greed would have subsided when the drop rates were changed to more favorable rates, but I guess not.

[MSAksion]

Well the way things are its a lottery.

SIX people
ONE Rare
FIVE - will be jealous, angry, lonely, offended, etc...
ONE will feel guilty of keeping such a lovely item and be scared to show it off to their friends.

Can you see the appeal of soloing? its like... if i soloed for something and it drops its mine 100% and no one else can claim they wanted it. If they wanted it so bad they could have joined me and have 50% chance to get it themselves. Or they can solo for days on end with no reward till it finally drops.

83% of the group is disappointed when only 16% of it gets the ONLY Rare.

[Alizarin]

I also solo mainly to go at my own pace. But I also work on building up things like techs that I would normally not have much of an opportunity in parties. Along with that, smaller groups work well for me due to less lag and an easier time in managing the welfare of the party. Plus, it's a way to relax while also being at least somewhat productive, as opposed to just idling.

[Powder Keg]

The greed for rares just leaves me speechless.


You know, as fast as you can do runs with a party, there may be a lower chance of you receiving it, but also a higher average of drops because of how much quicker you're doing runs. You don't even need to be in a party of six.

[chu-chu-chu]

Lol @ most replies! Skenia asked if people ENJOY soling, not why they solo. Duh!

[Xaeris]

Enjoy...is a strong word. I find it a tolerable way to kill time.

[BloodDragoon]

I solo or party depending really on mood and whether or not I'm doing something outside the game. Also when I run missions for the purpose of leveling PA's I lock the game and solo it as well. For me I seem to gain PA levels alot faster without other people there to cause monsters to scatter. Been hitting this on lightning beasts lately for decent chance of rappy spawns while doing it. So far I have a bunch of feathers, and boards for the heart bow but no madam brella. And a ton of room decos...

[seph_monkey]

the reason why you most likely dont like to solo is because you are always in a party and you are not use to doing SO much work, when you solo you need to be more attentive.
i solo all the time 1. i have the misfortune of meeting the most annoying arse holes in psu's community
2. i can solo very easily i train my self to be able to solo with easy when i join a party its just a freakin breeze lol.
3. you atleast have a 100% chance of getting a gewd item that drops (if one does)

i love to solo if i do not solo im with my very gewd friends so i really do not ever want to join a party less i need to and/or have no choice -_-

[Proto07]

On 2008-02-14 17:44, MSAksion wrote:
Well the way things are its a lottery.

SIX people
ONE Rare
FIVE - will be jealous, angry, lonely, offended, etc...
ONE will feel guilty of keeping such a lovely item and be scared to show it off to their friends.

Can you see the appeal of soloing? its like... if i soloed for something and it drops its mine 100% and no one else can claim they wanted it. If they wanted it so bad they could have joined me and have 50% chance to get it themselves. Or they can solo for days on end with no reward till it finally drops.

83% of the group is disappointed when only 16% of it gets the ONLY Rare.

"Aren't you glad I didn't invite you to my party? You would of been envious of that super duper badass rare I got when it went to me. You're welcome."

http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif

[Aorre]

On 2008-02-14 17:50, chu-chu-chu wrote:
Lol @ most replies! Skenia asked if people ENJOY soling, not why they solo. Duh!

Yes, but the OP seemed to be interested in the appeal of soloing as well (see title/quote)

Just looking for a little insight into what makes soloing, rare-hunting in particular, so appealing to people.
I enjoy soloing. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif

[Poncho_Jr]

As stated before, I don't ENJOY it, but have been actually doing so as of late.
Been soloing Sleeping Warriors S2...
In a range of 20-25 minutes with Mama Pancha and Laia Martinez.
What did I get from soloing?
Maxed out technics.
Rare items.
Boredom.
Once I find the Psycho Wand, I'm gonna sell the bastard for cold hard cash. And upgrade my 3 Uransaras for 3 Tesbras. XD

[JAFO22000]

I enjoy soloing. You can run how you want, don't have to constantly heal or buff your party, can level whatever skill you want, feel free to throw all of the spawns around without other people complaining, go at your own pace. It's really quite a different way of playing the game.

[Protatora]

I did level 1-120 by soloing and duoing. With a few 3 or 4s thrown in. Also have never joined a party on uni1.

It's just a matter of hating people of lesser IQ for me.

[Sekani]

On 2008-02-14 17:52, seph_monkey wrote:
the reason why you most likely dont like to solo is because you are always in a party and you are not use to doing SO much work, when you solo you need to be more attentive.
i solo all the time 1. i have the misfortune of meeting the most annoying arse holes in psu's community
2. i can solo very easily i train my self to be able to solo with easy when i join a party its just a freakin breeze lol.
3. you atleast have a 100% chance of getting a gewd item that drops (if one does)

i love to solo if i do not solo im with my very gewd friends so i really do not ever want to join a party less i need to and/or have no choice -_-


If this was directed at me, my hatred for soloing isn't because I have no skills, it's because soloing is mind-numbingly boring. It's not challenging, it's tedious. And as I said earlier, the drops aren't worth it.

[Poncho_Jr]

Also, some people solo, cause the majority of players on this game are plain old a-holes.
I barely join any more random parties. I just start my own Lunchable Brigade and keep on trucking.

And another thing...
I hate it when people are supposedly "soloing", but keeps the party open, just to boot everyone who comes in. It's annyoing and rude. If they're to lazy to lock, post something in the comment. <.<

[BloodDragoon]

On 2008-02-14 18:05, Protatora wrote:
I did level 1-120 by soloing and duoing. With a few 3 or 4s thrown in. Also have never joined a party on uni1.

It's just a matter of hating people of lesser IQ for me.



My issue with Uni 1 is it seems most the ppl I find there are middle school kids that talk too much about stupid things over voice chat, then say voice chat or mics are some all important thing required to get an S rank on a mission...

Seems like more of a distraction to me...

[Seira7]

I kind of like solo-ing, its relaxing to do in the middle of the day for instance when Im half playing/half doing other stuff. Theres no way I could do it later at night though I would fall asleep. I need company if thats all Im focusing on.

On the other hand i cant STAND people who constantly need company i.e. are bombarding you with messages or show up in your room the minute you log on. I even had one guy I met when I first started playing, I made a locked game to get away with him and he guessed the pw he was so desperate...lol. A complete nosy-body. I like to have an even balance between solo-ing and grouping, and like meeting people that are respectful of that. Hard to find, yet so worth it.



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Seira7 on 2008-02-14 18:17 ]</font>

[seph_monkey]

On 2008-02-14 18:07, Sekani wrote:

On 2008-02-14 17:52, seph_monkey wrote:
the reason why you most likely dont like to solo is because you are always in a party and you are not use to doing SO much work, when you solo you need to be more attentive.
i solo all the time 1. i have the misfortune of meeting the most annoying arse holes in psu's community
2. i can solo very easily i train my self to be able to solo with easy when i join a party its just a freakin breeze lol.
3. you atleast have a 100% chance of getting a gewd item that drops (if one does)

i love to solo if i do not solo im with my very gewd friends so i really do not ever want to join a party less i need to and/or have no choice -_-


If this was directed at me, my hatred for soloing isn't because I have no skills, it's because soloing is mind-numbingly boring. It's not challenging, it's tedious. And as I said earlier, the drops aren't worth it.


uhh i guess it is, it was mostly towards the thread it self.
soloing being boring is mostly on opnion because i love to solo but my brother hates it but im way better than him as player (thats right gio i said it >_>) i finish missions way faster than him, and with the updates we have been getting its just getting easier to me. i get great drops but i guess that would depend on a person as well i suppose.

[Tulio07]

it is the only way to get a good challenge if you're a decent player.

[Shiryuu]

I can go at my own pace when soloing, that's why it's good.

[Xaeris]

On 2008-02-14 18:15, Seira7 wrote:

On the other hand i cant STAND people who constantly need company i.e. are bombarding you with messages or show up in your room the minute you log on. I even had one guy I met when I first started playing, I made a locked game to get away with him and he guessed the pw he was so desperate...lol. A complete nosy-body. I like to have an even balance between solo-ing and grouping, and like meeting people that are respectful of that. Hard to find, yet so worth it.



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Seira7 on 2008-02-14 18:17 ]</font>


Uh, damn, I'd be disturbed. You use a female avatar I'm guessing?

[Seira7]

well, I have female avatars, and a chicks voice.
I ran into a few despos when I first started playing, now Im a bit more selective...theres another gaming forum I go to meet people beforehand for instance.

[Ruru]

i solo... why? because i enjoy it... why? there are many reasons why anyone would solo and enjoy it... 1 i dont really like partying with random people most of them (not all) are either completely incompetent or total and utter ass holes. i do have 2 people that i party with when i'm not soloing and its because i trust them / like being around them. 2 i solo because i like to take things at my own pace. soloing i can either go as fast as i want without worrying if someone got a tag hit, or whatever, and i can go as slow as i want. as in i can take a break at random and not have to worry about feeling like i'm leeching off anyone. my third major reason, if you've ever played Ffxi for 4 years you'll know why i enjoy yes ENJOY soloing on this game..

[Silver_Wyrm]

I got bored soloing alot so I have a buddy I duo with, evn if theres only two of us its way more fun than soloing and we've been having pretty good luck in drops for us. generally we have a couple items called to one of us and rest goes to whoever it lands on.

Sadly I dont feel the need to group much anymore...because why? besides the occasion I go to play with friends, there is no reason to go into 6 person groups, even with that many it goes about as fas as 2 or 3 would because everything dies really fast.

What I wish sega would do is un-nerf *some* select missions, make them super hard, but increase their drop rate or something, so it'd be a good reason to group up with people to try tackle a harder objective. Mayhaps a bit too much to solo it well, but the other missions with current drops (which are pretty good imo after this past week) cans till be soloable for yourself.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Silver_Wyrm on 2008-02-14 18:40 ]</font>

[Sekani]

Something else I noticed that seems weird to me: a lot of people enjoy soloing cause they get tired of dealing with other people. When I get tired of dealing with other people, I go and play a different game.

[Doh42]

Something I noticed on that subject. Even when you're soloing in online MMOs, you get something that you don't get from playing purely "solo" games (offline, etc.) You have a whole community of people to notice your accomplishments (level, gear, dedication, whatever).

Over time, I started noticing that most offline games, I just want to "beat" them and finish them. Online games, however, I seem to become more self-concious about just how good (or not) I am.

Basically, what I'm saying is that even you're soloing, whatever you got from it (cash, xp, PA levels, rares), some people will notice it and that's what keeps you playing.

[Seira7]

On 2008-02-14 18:52, Sekani wrote:
Something else I noticed that seems weird to me: a lot of people enjoy soloing cause they get tired of dealing with other people. When I get tired of dealing with other people, I go and play a different game.



Hm, for some people, maybe a friend isnt on, you feel like playing PSU and not grouping with strangers. You sound like you need to ALWAYS be in a group to play a game just because its online...
thats cool I think that majority arent like that though.

[Fleur-de-Lis]

For me, soloing is definitely fun. I wouldn't say it's more or less fun than grouping, it's just fun for different reasons. I can take my time, enjoy the game in my own way... and I won't annoy anyone by not playing how they want me to play.

People I party with regularly usually forgive the last part anyway.



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Fleur-de-Lis on 2008-02-14 19:12 ]</font>

[Akio]

I also think the game is to easy sometimes when there is too many people in the party. thats why i solo. I mean when you got chikki, majarra, techs and bullets fliying around. it gets overwhelming and i can miss enemy exp. plus like a lot of people said, its a metter of pace. sometimes i like to sit down and enjoy a mission. But when the mission is going at most 5-10 a run, its hard to enjoy.

[RadiantLegend]

I HATE soloing. Most time i solo is to lv my PAs.

[CromartieDude]

i solo all the time just so i get EVERYTHING!! HAHAHA!!!

[Sekani]

On 2008-02-14 19:05, Seira7 wrote:

On 2008-02-14 18:52, Sekani wrote:
Something else I noticed that seems weird to me: a lot of people enjoy soloing cause they get tired of dealing with other people. When I get tired of dealing with other people, I go and play a different game.



Hm, for some people, maybe a friend isnt on, you feel like playing PSU and not grouping with strangers. You sound like you need to ALWAYS be in a group to play a game just because its online...
thats cool I think that majority arent like that though.




Feels weird to be in the minority on this, but you're right. If none of my friends are on, what's the point of playing PSU, or any online game? The games that are actually fun to play by myself don't require an internet connection.

[DoubleJG]

I used to enjoy soloing but nowadays I can't see myself doing it very often.. I have a select few people that I often duo/trio with whenever I decide to not AFK http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif

[Matic]

On 2008-02-14 18:26, Shiryuu wrote:
I can go at my own pace when soloing, that's why it's good.



Agreed. I work on weekends, and while I can find people to run the "hotspot" missions just fine on weekdays, I get bored of the same mission after three or four runs. It's hard to find someone willing to go elsewhere, especially when you can't play during peak hours.

So yeah, I solo quite a bit. Keeps my technic/PA levels up. I tend to go after the more difficult missions for my level, just to see if I can pull it off.
It's about knowing what you can handle, though. My FT stays far away from Magas. And Dimmagolus, at least until she has noszonde, and even then...



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Matic on 2008-02-14 20:02 ]</font>

[xXInvidiaXx]

On 2008-02-14 17:50, chu-chu-chu wrote:
Lol @ most replies! Skenia asked if people ENJOY soling, not why they solo. Duh!



Oops.

Soloing is enjoyable on certain missions. De Ragan and Fakis, for example, are fun to solo imo.

Meganna and Dimma no ty http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_frown.gif

[Noblewine]

I'm use to solo'ing, I played alone when I started and still do even when I'm on my other alts. I do it for the challenge and to revisit alot of old maps that I played when I made a couple of friends and ran thru them for fun.

[Mystil]

I hate it, I'd rather be around people. But with the way most players are acting now towards others..I'm "safer" soloing..

[Kurai_Inago]

I like to solo. Sure, I like to team up too, but for the most part finding a team doing a mission I'd actually want to run is way too much of a pain in the ass.

And, of course as it's been said, I also tend to solo because I don't want to deal with other people, I didn't play this game to Socialize, I started playing this game because I enjoy actually playing it. (Ah, if only things worked like they did back with PSO, Local Multiplayer, being able to play the game online as with the same character you use offline.)

This isn't to say that I'm not friendly, or that I don't want to team, It's just that I haven't met many people I'd actually want to team with again. Or that will run anything other than hotspots.

[Silver_Wyrm]

On 2008-02-14 20:36, Kurai_Inago wrote:
I like to solo. Sure, I like to team up too, but for the most part finding a team doing a mission I'd actually want to run is way too much of a pain in the ass.

exactly, and even if you try you get people whining about "this boss is annoying" " the exp isnt good enough" "but I want xx drop that isnt here"

[thebummers]

1) Soloing is a guarantee that you will get the rare you have been working for. 2) Compared to other online MMORPGs, this game is actually kind of easy. 6 toons running through an S2 mission is overpowered cake. Soloing provides more of a challenge. 3) Some people in public runs are morons who would rather spam unfunny hotkeys and go AFK for 15 minutes a run then help the team. Some people are okay to hate. I usually only solo or play with 1-3 of my buds because that is the only way this game is any fun for me.

[unicorn]

I dont enjoy soloing because:

1. My main is a Fortetecher
2. My main is a CAST Fortetecher
3. My second alt is a Guntecher
4. My 3rd alt is a hunter, but not high enough to do S-rank missions.

You can't solo missions under 20 minutes if you aren't a Hunter. Being the optimal race helps too. Thus, I must take my chances in random parties and risk the chances of rares.

Or I can play with friends, but then we end up claiming certain rares...Honestly, I hate fighting over rares and would prefer to keep everything.

I really would wish I could solo. Meh.



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: super_luu on 2008-02-14 21:04 ]</font>

[Spacepest]

I enjoy both, but I do ALOT of soloing. Why? Because alot of times now I can only get an hour of uninterrupted play, if I'm lucky. And I don't feel its fair to my party to have to go AFK for half an hour because my cats are breaking something, I've got a business call coming in on my phone, or my husband comes in to pester me about WTF ever.

Funny, when I first got this game (and back then I had alot more time to play it) I ended doing alot of soloing with Nougami just because I would have to listen to random strangers complain about his Partner Machine being in a party...back then, she "might have died" and blew someone's possible S Rank score at the end of the mission (and often said complainer would die later due to lack of scape dolls, making their rant pointless).

Right now I'm startint to do alot of duoing with my husband's character. Yeah, he might still be a n00b and still do stupid things, but at least I know he isn't going to spam stupid chat in the game, complain about who gets the rares, what score we got at the end of the mission, hug the jarbas, etc. He just has fun leveling and slaughtering things with his Cast.

[darkante]

When i really want a rare i solo only.

I try to hunt for Needle cannon/ Dehagna Cannon in Grove of Fanatics S2.
Seeing i don´t need any frags atm, i usually do it around 12-14 min including boss.

Killer shot makes things a breeze http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_smile.gif

[Tita]

it's hard to find parties with my sense of humor. so i stick to my friends, people i know well/trust, or myself.

i concur with Spacepest. sometimes i can only log in for a couple of hours and i have other times happening at the same time, so i'm not going to burden a party with my afking and excuses. besides, soloing IS fun for me too, especially when the odds are against me.

soloing is also part of being a good team player: when you solo, your strengths and weaknesses stick out like sore thumbs, so you're better at adjusting your role in parties.

[DAMASCUS]

On 2008-02-14 23:19, Tita wrote:

soloing is also part of being a good team player: when you solo, your strengths and weaknesses stick out like sore thumbs, so you're better at adjusting your role in parties.



I am going to DITTO that. If I want to perfect my timing or get a PA up to the next tier or find more efficient ways to finish enemies soloing makes it much nicer.

I agree that I want to go at my own pace and take breaks which I would NEVER do in a group. Online players can be downright disrespectful and I have learned to just accept that as an amusing quirk. When they get a rare while eating dinner...thats when I plan to do some soloing.

[Feign]

I hate doing a run twenty times in a row, just to have the item I worked for so diligently to be taken by an ingrate who I had to res five times during the mission.

[cloud805]

i hate it when uve been doing the mission for ages and the some1 goes hey y shouldnt i do _________________ insert name of mission and its their first run for that mission and they get it oh man that just agrrivates me then i go skate

[Sexy_Raine]

I enjoy soloing because I get what I want. If I'm not hunting anything special, then it's to train the hell out of my techs. I try to balance both tasks, by not using what is lv40 already.

I soloed Lightning beasts for like 50hrs this week for Madam brella, and it was well worth it. I only hunt Ranger/Force stuff directly with Hunter items having a low priority for me(except for Blackheart), though I always end up getting hunter stuff anyway.

As for partying, the Uni2 guys get to suffer with Da ANA and his lousy slicer whoring. I have Nova on occasion do open parties, ranger is fun in a group sometimes. It's very rare to see me(the main) do an open party, I only care for training my force Pa's.







<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Sexy_Raine on 2008-02-15 01:51 ]</font>

[Weeaboolits]

I only solo when I'm hunting a specific item or am in a particularly bad mood and don't feel like dealing with people.

[Sylsha]

I personally enjoy soloing a lot more then I enjoy playing with others. I went from level 1 to 90 on my main soloing. 90-120 was with a party because of 1 up and Winter event. And I would even Solo 1 up when it wasn't the Moatoob week (since Moatoob couldn't be soloed)

Two of my alts are techer, one is an acrotecher and the other is a fortetecher. I still solo with them, and yes it is possible to solo with a Techer, even S and S2 missions.

I rarely play with other, when I do it's mostly with friends and I don't usually stay long in the party, do a few runs with my friends and then I go back to soloing. It's not because I don't like the company of people, I have quite a few friends on psu, and they are awesome. I enjoy talking to them a lot but when it comes to running missions I prefer to do so alone for many reasons.
1. I can go at my own rythm (can stop to eat mid mission if I want to LOL)
2. I can level up any photon arts I want, even if I am going to level diga on awoken serpent.
3. Often I hunts rare monsters, well I don't get on anyone nerves abandoning the mission everytime it is a wrong one (some people do not like that and get mad at that, while I don't mind restarting a mission 20 times until I get the good map),
4. I can do any missions I want.
5. I can hunt for any items I want wherever I prefer to hunt for them without having people telling me "oh, this is a boring mission".
6. I do not have to talk/type if I don't feel like it
7. I can play at the time I want, since I enjoy playing alone I do not need to wait for friends to come online or try and join random party. I play at weird hours, and not regular hours either.
8. And well, of course I get all of the items for myself, but that is not the big things that makes me solo, as i used to solo C rank even though I was not getting any items out of it, just to play and to raise my pm battle stats
9. I don't have to wait in the lobbies for people that are not ready, eating, on the phone, ect... Same in missions, I don't have to wait for all kind of reasons to continue the mission. If I stop, it's because I have something to do, so I am not just there staring at a screen and waiting until some random person finish talking to his girlfriend on the phone.
10. I am a lot older then many PSU players, so random parties does not appeal to me a lot since most of the parties I join were full of teenager/young adults.



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Sylsha on 2008-02-15 01:09 ]</font>

[D1ABOLIK]

I always solo. I want split screen multiplayer if im gonna play with people. When i solo I can take smoke breaks when i want, eat in the middle of a mission, play the missions i want, abandon at any time i want and go back to my room. Honestly the only reason i pay 10 bucks a month is for the content. If all of this was available offline i would not even have an account.



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: D1ABOLIK on 2008-02-15 01:45 ]</font>

[amtalx]

I like to play with people, but what I don't like is hunting for a rare and having it drop to some slack-jaw when I was doing all the work.

[Raine_Loire]

On 2008-02-14 17:24, Kaloa wrote:
I enjoy playing games alone. Teams make me feel pressured to keep up, or to play differently from how I'd prefer. When I solo I can go at my own pace.

I actually don't play online games for the community or for the chance to play with others. I play for updated content, rare hunting, and the grind. You don't really get those things with traditional offline RPG's.



I feel exactly the same. When I'm in a random party all I can think about it "when's it going to be over??" So usually I only party with Laguna, but since he's decided this is one of the worst games ever, I have to solo. I enjoy it though- I don't feel obligated to do anything I don't feel like doing ^_^

[JarinKail]

I solo for two reasons.

1. Because I can.
2. Because I fucking hate 90% of the population of this game.

[Snitch]

i like to play in partys, and mess up the minds of our younger gamers..

http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif

Solo if I want something, and mostly PT with ppl I know..

[ne1first]

The main reason why I solo often is, when you play in a group, you have to put up with group etiquette:

1.- people who need exp (don't skip mobs!)
1b.- Oh and don't kill too fast either or they will cry also.
2.- people who need mp (don't skip totally pointless spawns!)
3.- whiny people who cry about every rare not going to them
4.- leechers who whip out their lv3 barta in caves of ice and still have the face to whine about not getting rares.

The result?

I can solo at the same speed or faster than a full group of the above characteristics, and get 100% of the rares and no drama.

I like groups also, when members are not whiny, they can pull their weight, etc.

[panzer_unit]

I like soloing because I get to make full use of my character's gear and abilities. I pick a mission that favors the couple skills I want to work on and rack up a boatload of lv% ... its too bad I never find any loot on my own but if I did that would be okay too.

With GBR I've been doing teams, teams, teams ... of friends mostly, some friends-of-friends and partner cards I rarely call as well. The combined boost rate bonus is awesome, though the excitement is starting to wear off of seeing 11*'s drop and go to other people.

[Andy1423]

I think enemies should have a scaled difficulty based on number of players in the mission....BUt also with this you technically should get better drops for the payoff...think D2

[Satter]

For the people who are soloing, would you please lock your rooms if you don't want people in. It doesn't take more than 2 seconds. I'm a little tired of going into a room just to be kicked out. This is starting to happen almost half the times.

Also, for you assholes who do let people come in just to boot them right before you kill the boss, ST is now banning those who are being reported for doing this.

[Spacepest]

On 2008-02-15 07:27, Satter wrote:
For the people who are soloing, would you please lock your rooms if you don't want people in. It doesn't take more than 2 seconds. I'm a little tired of going into a room just to be kicked out. This is starting to happen almost half the times.



Agreed. If you're going to solo, lock your games please.

Although there have been a few times where I have forgotten to lock a mission when I'm soloing and some random person has joined. However, I've never kicked them out for it (its my fault for forgetting to lock the team, and I don't have the heart to be such an asshat).

[strikershadow]

Soloing for a rare is like chinese water torture, it sucks and i hate it so effin much... but when something drops that yor looking for... the reward is well worth it http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif

[chibiLegolas]

I'm with you there Sekani. Solo'n really IS a type of turture. Whenever I attempt to do it, I can usually only finish a run ONCE a night. Even then, I'd fall asleep half the time through it cause it's so quiet. I NEED other souls out there to talk to while playing. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif

[Akaimizu]

I feel similar. I sometimes had used some cool music to try to keep me up in there. Fortunately, I guess I still have some challenge in soloing as my GT, even if I'm just mere hand-digits from the current ceiling of character levels. I'm getting into Laser Cannon levelling since I've already invested tons of time raising so many other bullets and techs now. I'm still levelling multiple things at once, but I know I'm leaning on lasers to do it, since they aren't in their final tier of levelling like my other bullets and support techs. I'm still on the verge of getting techs like diga over the hump just for those limited opportunities where a good rock chuck is the best option.

It's not all bad, but it's nothing compared to having fun, making cool quips and actually have SOMEBODY there to laugh at them. Telling jokes, and poking loads of fun at all sort of monstrocities in the game.

A nice little forum for which you can alliterate to all sorts of funny things these certain things remind you of, and you have a true party. A party gathering that also is running around kill----er I mean suppressing (Sonic Team censor-edit) mobs.


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Akaimizu on 2008-02-15 09:01 ]</font>

[DragonStorm]

I have a great time when i solo. I use my sanzu-hikens and frauduke to own with and S2=easy shit.

[Sekani]

On 2008-02-15 08:53, chibiLegolas wrote:
I'm with you there Sekani. Solo'n really IS a type of turture. Whenever I attempt to do it, I can usually only finish a run ONCE a night. Even then, I'd fall asleep half the time through it cause it's so quiet. I NEED other souls out there to talk to while playing. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif


One day if I'm ever so inclined I might try a solo run while in private chat with someone. If I make it through one run without falling asleep, it may be worth it.

[JAFO22000]

On 2008-02-15 15:41, Sekani wrote:

On 2008-02-15 08:53, chibiLegolas wrote:
I'm with you there Sekani. Solo'n really IS a type of turture. Whenever I attempt to do it, I can usually only finish a run ONCE a night. Even then, I'd fall asleep half the time through it cause it's so quiet. I NEED other souls out there to talk to while playing. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif


One day if I'm ever so inclined I might try a solo run while in private chat with someone. If I make it through one run without falling asleep, it may be worth it.



You private chat with Webster all the time in party runs...what would be different?!?!? Oh, I guess if the whole party can hear your conversation, it ceases to be a "private" chat, technically.

BwAHAHAHAHAHAHAAH!!! pwnd you!

[Sekani]

On 2008-02-15 15:45, JAFO22000 wrote:

On 2008-02-15 15:41, Sekani wrote:

On 2008-02-15 08:53, chibiLegolas wrote:
I'm with you there Sekani. Solo'n really IS a type of turture. Whenever I attempt to do it, I can usually only finish a run ONCE a night. Even then, I'd fall asleep half the time through it cause it's so quiet. I NEED other souls out there to talk to while playing. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif


One day if I'm ever so inclined I might try a solo run while in private chat with someone. If I make it through one run without falling asleep, it may be worth it.



You private chat with Webster all the time in party runs...what would be different?!?!? Oh, I guess if the whole party can hear your conversation, it ceases to be a "private" chat, technically.

BwAHAHAHAHAHAHAAH!!! pwnd you!


Unfortunately Webster is useless without an audience. Which is why I keep you around.

[Delete]

I also solo because i want the rares for myself. Im not one to ever get to much stuff but today, i just got a gur asted soloing by myself. Yes, it is a pain and its boring, but at least you know when you see something you want, your gonna get it. Also, i listen to my music on my 360 as well, i have about 200 songs, so i can make it through 3 or 4 runs without falling asleep.

[SuperRygar]

i often solo, and i dont find it boring at all. iv always solo'd all the levels before doing them in a party, that way i can experience it myself, rather than just mindlessly following a group. it also lets me learn the patterns of the enemies, as nobody else is throwing them around. all items go to me is a plus. you dont get the retards in the group. you can always bring NPC's to make things quicker. there are plenty of reasons to solo, and whether or not you enjoy it is a personal issue.
i hate being in a large group, first off the lag is horrible. some ppl spam PA's that launch and move enemies and its just harder to hit them. and its annoying when ppl have conversations during battle...and the chances of getting the rare you want are pretty slim. only reason id be in a large group is for XP, other than that il stick to solo and 2-3 person groups

[jobber]

I solo Desert Goliath because :

1. 95% of the players bitch and moan that it's too hard and rather do white beast for easy money

2. The mission doesn't drop any good fF or fT items. With the majority of players being 1 of those 2 classes, people aren't doing runs for rare hunting unless it's to sell the boards.

3. I've hit the level cap so running the same runs over and over because it's where the majority of lazy people are getting easy exp isn't needed.

4. I like a challenge and the rewards are awesome. Finding a 11 star gun boards sitting there with no one else around to take it from you/boot you after the boss battle is over, is the best feeling in the world. I may lose 30-60 minutes of time plus 70k buying charges, mates, and traps, but it's better than shelling out 20 mil or not getting a chance to grab it before the host kicks you out.


p.s. I bring my NPC and my PM with my when I solo, but I might as well be alone. They don't attack anything unless it's right in front of me. I use them mostly for human shields when missles are launched. They also suck ass when fighting Maggs. He'll shoot off that blue bomb at me and miss, but since my NPC/PM is following me, they get hit and I take splash damage.


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: jobber on 2008-02-16 02:14 ]</font>

[Winter_of_uno]

I solo most of the time for the following reasons:

- I don't have AOI so I can't do any Add-on exclusive stuff anyway
- Sega/ST pressed the easy button a bit too much so that doing missions with more than 2 players who know what they're doing make it an absolute overkill, Mob Stats should simply be increased with size of party and that issue would be fixed
- Most ppl don't want to play the missions I like / low population blah blah ykwim
- All rares are belong to me!!!!11111!!!!!1eleven / Yes, I am honest enough to say that.

The pressing of the easy button is the major issue imo. I remember when we had missions with mobs being 20-30 levels higher than actual level cap and you couldn't solo everything in under 30 mins so you actually needed other people to make a mission run smoother.
The Guardians Boost Road is a good idea to address that though; maybe the next road will not have AOI-exclusive stuff and I'll participate.

[_K1_]

Too many players stick to too few missions. If you want any kind of variety or different items, you have to solo. I've done a lot of Midnight Beast S2, and that whole lobby is empty. Also, soloing means no drama over items, no need to rush, and the ability to play how you want. Mostly, though, I like variety in missions.

Also, I use solo time to level up PAs. I don't like using underleveled skills or techs in parties, so I usually try to level them up while playing alone.

[RACast_Raiden]

You get all the rarz, you can take your sweet ol' time.

Did i say you can take all the rarz?

[ljkkjlcm9]

I think soloing really depends on the mission. Some missions are like nothing to solo. I hate soloing missions with a lot of bots on my Fighgunner, but it's fine to solo with my Techer, cause he uses megid. I hate soloing the likes of Mother Brain, just because those dog type animals always run over you and you get stuck in them so often.

Other missions are easy as pie to solo however. I use to enjoy soloing sakura blast, until I really didn't need anything from it anymore.

THE JACKEL

[Kylie]

I'm notorious for being anti-soloing on another game, and it carries. Though this game is better with mailing and such, I'll give up my chance for a rare I want to play with friends.

[Ashkahn]

I have but one explanation: RARZ.

It's nice to finish a mission and not get booted by a jerkoff Party Leader because a shiny new item dropped.

[sayein0]

Because I don't want my exp stolen by noobs.

[FateOfTheArt]

You know it's funny, back in the PSO days I couldn't stand soloing. It'd almost put me to sleep at times. But after PSO ran it's course for me and my friends on the Xbox we "moved on" to FFXI on PC.

After a few months of playing that game(in which you had to group for any EXP post level 14 or so) I found myself soloing a lot in PSOX just because I could. After that I soloed most of the time in City Of Heroes/Villains and WoW.

I think the reason I solo most of the time in PSU is that I can. I know it seems odd to solo in an mmo, but at least it's an option in PSU. Forced grouping is just...bleh...

[Anduril]

I actually like soloing. It's really a way to get away from very annoying people that you meet in parties, plus it gives me a chance to use my less effective TECHs and weapons without hear someone complain that I'm slowing everyone down.

[Shishi-O]

On 2008-02-14 16:39, Sekani wrote:
I'm well aware of some of the reasons why people solo. Some do it because they want rares, others because they hate people. But... do the people that solo actually enjoy it?

I've tried solo rare-hunting, and it will rank among the most excruciatingly un-fun video game experiences I have ever had. No S-rank is worth that level of torture. Yet people do it all the time, both online and offline. And for some reason they seem to love it.

Why? I understand people have different preferences and all that, but to me this is like someone enjoying jumping into a pile of tacks. Just looking for a little insight into what makes soloing, rare-hunting in particular, so appealing to people.

i used to love group running , but people have their ego and wanna be boss/ wanna do their own thing, and to be completely honest, I got tired of it.

Modesty aside all my chars are capped and decked out, I only accomplished this cuz ditched the haters.

I solo any mission. I want pretty fast, and keep all the rares to myself,....ironically my luck seems to have increased since soloing. It has been insane actually, a completely better game xp .

Not to mention I have to start my second meseta stack http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/anime1.gif

Most of the rares I find I sell,...I preferre money.

And I am most of the time playing for fun,..selling rares and making money is fun though XD

[Jakosifer]

Reasons why I solo.

1: Don't have to bother with randoms, since most that I've played with suck ass anyway, it's pointless to bother with them anymore. Especially considering how easy the game is now anyway, don't need it any easier.

2: I get all the loot, whats not to like about that? Could use the argument that "You get more with more people", yea too bad half the crap don't go to me. >]

3: I can play how I want, without worrying about someone whining about me running ahead of the team, or not talking the whole time during a run or whatever.

4: I just plain generally enjoy it more than being in a party. Even if its a party of my friends, I get bored quicker because it gets a bit too easy.

[Jife_Jifremok]

I used to enjoy this game, and I used to solo a LOT. Now I can't do it. It's just too boring. I can hardly do runs by myself or in PUGs for more than a half hour before I Start going insane. Yet in nearly every other online game I played (before and after PSU), I was perfectly content with soloing. Here, soloing is like jumping into a pile of tacks. Playing with a PUG is like jumping into tacks with a bunch of other people as dumb as I am to be jumping into said tacks. These days I only party with Raine (um, not that Raine, the other Raine), and that is like jumping into a pile of tacks but having someone to make the tack-jumping worhwhile.

[Sexy_Raine]

On 2008-02-17 10:39, Jife_Jifremok wrote:
I used to enjoy this game, and I used to solo a LOT. Now I can't do it. It's just too boring. I can hardly do runs by myself or in PUGs for more than a half hour before I Start going insane. Yet in nearly every other online game I played (before and after PSU), I was perfectly content with soloing. Here, soloing is like jumping into a pile of tacks. Playing with a PUG is like jumping into tacks with a bunch of other people as dumb as I am to be jumping into said tacks. These days I only party with Raine (um, not that Raine, the other Raine), and that is like jumping into a pile of tacks but having someone to make the tack-jumping worhwhile.



You just wanna see my fiiiiiness. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif
We're an awesome dual though. Except for Da ANA, cause he's a loser.

[SolomonGrundy]

I enjoy soloing, and I enjoy parting.
A lot of folks mentioned the practical reasons for soloing (leveling PAs, no one (you like) to play with, choice of mission, etc).

As far as enjoyment goes, I feel like soloing makes you a better player in general. why learn to dodge when you know a resta is probably going to save your a$$, or someone will use giresta or a moon on you? Why use traps or other added cost items when enemies die so quickly?

Also, there are certain PAs that just work better (or are more fun) solo. Using the third move of tornado break, for example. When I'm soloing it offends no one if I swat all the enemies away.

I guess lastly there is also a sense of satisfaction at being able to solo a level or completeing a successful hunt, this was more true Pre-AoI, when it meant more, but even post AoI I enjoyed running De Ragnus S2 hunting for a cati/hit (never found it, by the way).

To people who hate it? You are probably more social, or enjoy different things about PSU. I am an old PSO-er, and soloing was definitely an aspect of that game.

[Finalzone]

Soloing is fine. With AOTI, dodging physical attack is easier and pushs the player's skill to the limit. At the same time, I use soloing to increase the B St for my PM who appears to be smarter.

[SJW89]

On 2008-02-14 16:39, Sekani wrote:
I'm well aware of some of the reasons why people solo. Some do it because they want rares, others because they hate people. But... do the people that solo actually enjoy it?

I've tried solo rare-hunting, and it will rank among the most excruciatingly un-fun video game experiences I have ever had. No S-rank is worth that level of torture. Yet people do it all the time, both online and offline. And for some reason they seem to love it.

Why? I understand people have different preferences and all that, but to me this is like someone enjoying jumping into a pile of tacks. Just looking for a little insight into what makes soloing, rare-hunting in particular, so appealing to people.



1. I can solo an S2 in 12 minutes at the most.
2. I like getting what I earned.
3. I don't like talking to random people.

[Jife_Jifremok]

On 2008-02-17 14:08, Sexy_Raine wrote:
You just wanna see my fiiiiiness. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif
We're an awesome dual though. Except for Da ANA, cause he's a loser.
I jump into piles of tacks for you Raine. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif Now kiss my wounds and make them better! http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif

We do make an awesome duo. Especially now since I have my PT win button so I can just be lazy. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif...ah, but I can put effort into things if there's ever a need for it. I hate using effort in this game anymore though so I only use effort for special situations or if you demand it. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif