now there is two things which i think is really missing and which makes this issue bigger for every week which goes by:
lack of LFG system:
the lack of a good lfg system where you can set up a group with description and needs and where people can apply, is an absolutely need to allow players to reasonably fast find equel minded players to enjoy themselve with.
without this people use too much time spamming chats etc. to actually find a group with the same preference’s they have, and even worse you will only see people find groups for things which you are unable to do by yourself instead of finding groups to enjoy the game with, ts/skype/vent etc with. which is the main reason to even play a mmo instead of a single/coop game in the first place.
LVLING, both alts and new chars:
this is an issue with most mmo’s but in most games but in most games if you got max lvled and geared chars with tons of resources to help you, you will get powerlvled FAST! and the issue is alot smaller.
in gw2 it is next to impossible to powerlvl your friends, or alts, or new players comming in.
now there need to be a few thing here: as with GW1 you need to be able to change class in the same manner as in gw1; meaning you will need to use skillpoints to get the skills etc up. and if the class is not able to use the same gear get new gear etc. this would make the issue of having to make alts alot lower and you would only need when you actually did it to hear the story from another perspective or to try to play as another race etc.
a system to powerlvl your new starting friends or friends alt so that you can actually play together in the inviroment that you find fun and ain’t forced to do tidious stuff which you have already done too many times before.
this could be a mentoring system, which allowed your friend to be lvled to your lvl and arquire a good potion of your lvl exp while the handicap would be lacking stats etc becouse of the lack of ability to use the gear of the mentors lvl. in this way people could actually get new players into the game and play with them.
now why did i see these two issues as problems in the first place?.
well as stated i feel like GW2 is very anti social. people barely speaks to each other and in groups its VERY rare to see people actually be funny.
i know from my POW this is becouse when i used 20min+ on spamming chats to find the group for a specific purpose in the game i am not in the best mood anymore, i am tired/annoyed and just wanna get going with the run.
add that to the entire game being build up as a solo player game with lots of “player NPC’s” which you got no way of actively grouping up with to actively try to play together and have fun with, you get a very anti social playerbase.
in most games this is broken by people continually finding new parties to do anything with “LFG/LFM for grinding x or y, or doing quest x or y, doing event x or ym doing dungeon x,y” by the time you reach endgame your so used to communicating and enteracting with the other players on the server that not only do you do it just becouse you enjoy it but you also figured out which people are the once you REALLY enjoy talking to and having fun with.
several of my really good RL friends i actually know from an mmo and i would properly not have known many if any of them if it wasnt becouse other games knew how to encorporate a really good LFG system which allows you to easily get in contact and group up with equel minded people.
ofcouse if you are the type of player that does not like an LFG system you can just decide not to use it, the LFG existing will in no way hurt you when choosing not to use it.
powerlvling:
this i see as an issue soo oftend becouse with games where it requires a huge time investment to get up to max lvl where the good stuff happens(this is where at least you will be when you played for a way) it becomes increasingly difficult the futher the games go on to get anyone new to start up the game and join you since it will take them months to just lvl to your lvl and then you can start to help gear them.
this is again a social aspect, when i got few friends which playes gw2 now it really does suck that i cant just get some of the others to try it out becouse they will have given up by the time they could reach max lvl (meaning its really boring to lvl by yourself and its really boring for us which have lvled several chars already to run around and do stuff for HOURS which gives us nothing and which isnt interesting for us to do.)
so to SUM UP:
a LFG system.
and
a good MENTOR powerlvling system.
seems needed in the game to give it a MUCH needed social boost and thereby a much bigger playerbase, especially since gw2 is not a game of archievement feeling, its a game you play to have fun just doing stuff, and this is hard to do without doing it with people you enjoy.
(edited by Erebus.7568)
