groups take too long to fill, want more play time, less waiting

[chodelord]

no I don't want to play a divine or bard

and no I don't want to start a new toon or TR and solo, if I wanted to solo I would play skyrim

I like this game but I can't play for hours at a time, I can play in maybe 45 minute chunks before some **** thing in real life requires my attention. That is enough time to complete any instance or raid but not enough time to sit waiting for a group to fill. I want my toons to make some kind of progression at level 20 in terms of raid/epic loot and completions.

suggestions for decreasing the time spent waiting for groups to fill:

1. let me see the lfg screen from the toon select screen, that way I don't waste time logging in when there aren't any groups available, even better let me request to join from that screen and automatically log in any toon that is accepted

2. let my toon "reserve" spots in multiple LFG queues so that the first one that fills pops my toon into the group and removes me from the reserve groups (btw if you want to make that a subscriber only feature I would heartily endorse it though I'm not currently subscribed)

3. reward people for leading groups so there are more available

4. allow hirelings in raids and epics (and make them smart enough not to stand in the fire)

5. if a group is full and the leader enters the instance automatically teleport all group members into the instance

6. automatically grant all buffs on guild ship to any guild member entering an instance

[madmaxhunter]

no I don't want to play a divine or bard

and no I don't want to start a new toon or TR and solo, if I wanted to solo I would play skyrim

I like this game but I can't play for hours at a time, I can play in maybe 45 minute chunks before some **** thing in real life requires my attention. That is enough time to complete any instance or raid but not enough time to sit waiting for a group to fill. I want my toons to make some kind of progression at level 20 in terms of raid/epic loot and completions.

suggestions for decreasing the time spent waiting for groups to fill:

1. let me see the lfg screen from the toon select screen, that way I don't waste time logging in when there aren't any groups available, even better let me request to join from that screen and automatically log in any toon that is accepted

2. let my toon "reserve" spots in multiple LFG queues so that the first one that fills pops my toon into the group and removes me from the reserve groups (btw if you want to make that a subscriber only feature I would heartily endorse it though I'm not currently subscribed)

3. reward people for leading groups so there are more available

4. allow hirelings in raids and epics (and make them smart enough not to stand in the fire)

5. if a group is full and the leader enters the instance automatically teleport all group members into the instance

6. automatically grant all buffs on guild ship to any guild member entering an instance

1. Not a bad idea.

2. hells no, so your convenience screws others in the lfm.

3. Great idea there. /sign that one.

4. Irks me too, but will never happen.

5. What if the lfm was IP?

6. I'd be happy if buffs paused in public areas. That's all that is needed.

[NaturalMystik]

1 & 3: Awesome Ideas!

[LordRavnos]

The problem I see with number 3, if the reward is too small, no ones going to give a ****, and if its too large, no ones going to want to NOT be leader. Finding a middle ground is not going to be easy at all, but I am for it

[Falco_Easts]

no I don't want to play a divine or bard

and no I don't want to start a new toon or TR and solo, if I wanted to solo I would play skyrim

I like this game but I can't play for hours at a time, I can play in maybe 45 minute chunks before some **** thing in real life requires my attention. That is enough time to complete any instance or raid but not enough time to sit waiting for a group to fill. I want my toons to make some kind of progression at level 20 in terms of raid/epic loot and completions.

suggestions for decreasing the time spent waiting for groups to fill:

Gotta say your attitude grated on me and I alsmost didn't get past here.

1. let me see the lfg screen from the toon select screen, that way I don't waste time logging in when there aren't any groups available, even better let me request to join from that screen and automatically log in any toon that is accepted

A good idea that has been asked for multiple times.

2. let my toon "reserve" spots in multiple LFG queues so that the first one that fills pops my toon into the group and removes me from the reserve groups (btw if you want to make that a subscriber only feature I would heartily endorse it though I'm not currently subscribed)

No. Join a group, stick with group.

3. reward people for leading groups so there are more available

They do get rewarded, they get a group. Other then that, no.

4. allow hirelings in raids and epics (and make them smart enough not to stand in the fire)

/shrug
Why not.

5. if a group is full and the leader enters the instance automatically teleport all group members into the instance

Grief much?

6. automatically grant all buffs on guild ship to any guild member entering an instance

Again has been asked for but I see no need for it.

[Urjak]

groups take so long to fill because there are so few ppl around ...

1.) /signed would be cool, but there are lots of more pressing things the coding team should focus on
2.) No, that would cause more problems than benefits
3.) As someone else already said: Either the reward would be so small that noone cares, or it would be so cool noone would join lfms anymore and instead set his/her own up
4.) would be awesome, but I dont see it happen
5.) Good idea, but tricky to implement ... what if its already IP?, what if you still need to buy pots/ingreds/scrolls?, ...
6.) There is already another thread about it

even if all of these would be implemented in the most optimal possible way ... it would still not help filling lfms ... it would only decrease the time from lfms filled up to actually starting the quest, meh, the longest part is filling the lfm and to fix this, there are simply more players required

[masterzzan]

about #3. instead of giving awards to party leader,and having the problem finding the amount that, as said before, is not too much so all want to be leaders and not to low so no one care. reward all party members if party is full.(make sure that the party have no hireling or the whole point of encouraging more parties is lost by 3 players and their 3 hirelings). seems only right since some quests ARE harder if the party is larger,reward should be increased as well.( i say +1 loot and +10% xp )

[Atree]

Problem with filling many LFMs is the misconceptions of players. Far too many people try to get the "optimal" party composition or look for very specific builds to fill some perceived roles. For example, many a group leader will not accept my battle-cleric to a party "cause she can't heal", which is utter rubbish since from past experience I know she can solo-heal several raids (normal Shroud, normal VoD, elite VoN, elite DQ) and most 6-man epics.

I tend to put up an "In progress" LFM and start the quest short manned (or even solo). As far as I've seen the biggest hurdle to "filling" an LFM is waiting for a "healer". From my personal, and probably biased, observations, very few quests require a divine healbot. In fact even some raids can be completed sans divines. If your toon can't self-heal bring along a hireling.

There are many alternative methods of attaining at least some self-sufficiency on a wide variety of builds. I found out that I do not enjoy being at the mercy of others, so all my builds have some way to prop up their health (at the very least you can craft a vampiric weapon, preferably with bodyfeader and a decent crit range. Upping your healing amp is also a good idea). If more players made the attempt then parties would be more fluid and far easier to fill.

Regarding your suggestions:
1. Would be nice but not a huge priority.
2. Would just make things more complicated since partially filled parties will lose players in an unpredictable fashion.
3. Impossible to balance and frankly not needed.
4. AFAIK hirelings can enter epics. Keeping them alive is a player skill that can be improved.
5. Forced entry is a bad idea. Quests with lockout mechanisms are already enough of a pain.
6. There is not a single quest or raid in the game where ship buffs are a must. You can enter the quest without them. (None of my toons have ever even stepped on a guildship). I'd be happy if they were removed so people would waste less time before entering a quest.

[Templarion]

3. reward people for leading groups so there are more available

Your other suggestions were ok but this should be focused more. Maybe guild renown bonuses or some kind of in-game respect bonus?

Waiting groups to fill can be painful sometimes and something should be done about it. Bravery bonus requirements didn't make filling the groups any easier.

[Enoach]

I was also grated by your beginning tone, but I did review your suggestions.

Interesting suggestions

1. No. I would rather be able to see each characters Raid Timer/Backpack/Bank than LFMs
2. No. Reserving a Spot in multiple parties and going with the first group that fills. I can see it now as a party leader. 5 Reserve spots at the exact time 2+ parties also get 5 Reserve Spots...
3. No. Party leaders already have an incentive for running the quest - they are picking which quest they want to run
4. Please No. Enough said.
5. No, No, No... Just imagine that poor Healer restocking wands/scrolls and just before they click Accept are sucked into a vortex and bam!!! They are in the quest.
6. No, buffs are a connivance not a necessity

Now here are some suggestions on how to have more play time and less wait time...
1. Stop waiting to fill the party - Each quest was designed for a base party of 4. At worst wait for 3 others to join you. You don't need a 6 man party.
2. Come prepared to self heal - that may mean Healing potions - Use collectibles and potions found from broken boxes - stop selling the stuff that can keep you alive.
3. Stop being picky about the groups you join or the people that join your groups. Your here to have fun, so start finding your fun by running quests.
4. Few quests actually require specific classes to complete. Sometimes the skills of certain classes make quests more profitable or easier, but they are not always required.

[AZgreentea]

I hate to say it, but the lfm panel in a certain game that shall not be named is my favorite idea. Making the lfm panel global across all servers would vastly increase the number of pug options. Then when you join the pug you enter an instance with players from any server.
I can only imagine the tech Turbine would have to invest in to make this possible, but i still see it as the optimal solution.
I havent played that game myself so i am basing this on my conversations with those players.

[Galeria]

What I'd really like to see, and it doesn't seem too hard to do, would be to implement an open RSS feed of the LFM board per server.

Then you could check the DDO website to view current LFM's per server or use your favorite feed reader, on your phone even, to see what's going on and what's available. They could even drop it into the forums here as a sidebar, specifically on the Server focus forums. Intersperse ads for the current sales and promotions to help boost TP sales.

It would also promote people publishing the feeds on their own sites, helping to promote the game.

If I could monitor the lfm's via RSS on my phone or another screen, even the ones on a server that I'm not currently playing on, it would definitely encourage me to log in the right character to help fill available parties.

[Cyr]

Hey OP it could be worse we could have the instance finder from LOTRO (another Turbine game) which penalizes you for not using it and works off of the premise of picking a random dungeon for a party of random people.

As for the suggestions I like one alot.

[danotmano1998]

I'd have to agree that groups take a while to fill, some more than others..

It's really not up to Turbine to fix this from my perspective.
Turbine can't make people join parties, nor can they make you lead them.

Sure, they could give incentives. But do you want to be led by the guy who's doing it strictly for the extra +1 dev sword of noobishness, or by the guy who's leading because they chose to?

[danotmano1998]

What I'd really like to see, and it doesn't seem too hard to do, would be to implement an open RSS feed of the LFM board per server.

Then you could check the DDO website to view current LFM's per server or use your favorite feed reader, on your phone even, to see what's going on and what's available. They could even drop it into the forums here as a sidebar, specifically on the Server focus forums. Intersperse ads for the current sales and promotions to help boost TP sales.

It would also promote people publishing the feeds on their own sites, helping to promote the game.

If I could monitor the lfm's via RSS on my phone or another screen, even the ones on a server that I'm not currently playing on, it would definitely encourage me to log in the right character to help fill available parties.

Now THIS... This is a superlative idea. +1 to you.

[madmaxhunter]

What I'd really like to see, and it doesn't seem too hard to do, would be to implement an open RSS feed of the LFM board per server.

Then you could check the DDO website to view current LFM's per server or use your favorite feed reader, on your phone even, to see what's going on and what's available. They could even drop it into the forums here as a sidebar, specifically on the Server focus forums. Intersperse ads for the current sales and promotions to help boost TP sales.

It would also promote people publishing the feeds on their own sites, helping to promote the game.

If I could monitor the lfm's via RSS on my phone or another screen, even the ones on a server that I'm not currently playing on, it would definitely encourage me to log in the right character to help fill available parties.

Counterpoint: You'll have the entire community playing Skyrim and occasionally checking the RSS feed thinking: "wow, nobody plays DDO anymore".

[LucidLTS]

suggestions for decreasing the time spent waiting for groups to fill:

1. let me see the lfg screen from the toon select screen, that way I don't waste time logging in when there aren't any groups available, even better let me request to join from that screen and automatically log in any toon that is accepted

2. let my toon "reserve" spots in multiple LFG queues so that the first one that fills pops my toon into the group and removes me from the reserve groups (btw if you want to make that a subscriber only feature I would heartily endorse it though I'm not currently subscribed)

3. reward people for leading groups so there are more available

4. allow hirelings in raids and epics (and make them smart enough not to stand in the fire)

5. if a group is full and the leader enters the instance automatically teleport all group members into the instance

6. automatically grant all buffs on guild ship to any guild member entering an instance

/Signed For the most part, a few mods, though

1) Great idea, take it farther - make it visible on the web site so I can keep a window open and see what's going on, and sign in if I see a quest I want come up.

2) I'm not sure I understand this one, but it sounds like a not signed. Might be signed if it were explained differently. What I definitely would like is a way to retract a join request if it remains unanswered after a short interval. If you can't decide on me, let me try elsewhere without switching characters

4) Sounds like a great idea, though this solution is already available for quests (except the not standing in fire part) and they still have problems filling.

5) I love it! For the number of times a party has waited at the entrance for some dawdler, this would be the most satisfying thing ever. I'm sure it will never happen, but I'll daydream about this every time now

7) (new) I started a thread about how changing BtC to BtA would speed group fill, and nobody disputed that it would. The major objection was that it might reduce loot passing, which I contend is a small price to pay for getting the defibrilator on the LFM panel. http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?p=4175645

Anyway, you've got some good ideas there, and my 3rd and final +1 for the day

[Galeria]

Or maybe you'll have someone playing Skyrim who thinks, "Hmmn, a Titan raid. Haven't done one of those in a while... I'll pause this and go run that."

Honestly, it's a way to draw people who aren't actively playing at the moment back to login. Because they wouldn't bother watching the feed if they weren't still interested.

[Darknark]

no I don't want to play a divine or bard

and no I don't want to start a new toon or TR and solo, if I wanted to solo I would play skyrim

I like this game but I can't play for hours at a time, I can play in maybe 45 minute chunks before some **** thing in real life requires my attention. That is enough time to complete any instance or raid but not enough time to sit waiting for a group to fill. I want my toons to make some kind of progression at level 20 in terms of raid/epic loot and completions.

suggestions for decreasing the time spent waiting for groups to fill:

1. let me see the lfg screen from the toon select screen, that way I don't waste time logging in when there aren't any groups available, even better let me request to join from that screen and automatically log in any toon that is accepted Interesting, I'd potentially be in favor of that.

2. let my toon "reserve" spots in multiple LFG queues so that the first one that fills pops my toon into the group and removes me from the reserve groups (btw if you want to make that a subscriber only feature I would heartily endorse it though I'm not currently subscribed) 1) NO, either /tell the lfm poster and reserve, or join a guild. 2)No, even if I have the ability to immediately group kick you. - I filter, and unless I know someone (or someone I know asks me to keep a spot for another person) I don't just automatically let people in for clicking the lfm.

3. reward people for leading groups so there are more available This probably wouldn't help, it would just make people always want the star, and during leveling just multibox for the "bonus".

4. allow hirelings in raids and epics (and make them smart enough not to stand in the fire)
1) Hirelings can go into epics
2) Why would you want a hire in a raid?

5. if a group is full and the leader enters the instance automatically teleport all group members into the instance
Hell no - in a pug if someone can't get to it, there is a rather high possibility that they have no clue about what is going on... (thats all fine and good if they are upfront about it.). a

6. automatically grant all buffs on guild ship to any guild member entering an instance
Because 2 mins is too much to get the biggest easybutton, short of a caster, while leveling?

In red.

[madmaxhunter]

Or maybe you'll have someone playing Skyrim who thinks, "Hmmn, a Titan raid. Haven't done one of those in a while... I'll pause this and go run that."

Honestly, it's a way to draw people who aren't actively playing at the moment back to login. Because they wouldn't bother watching the feed if they weren't still interested.

No, no, I wasn't disputing your idea, just countering that if too many are looking for that Titan Raid and no one is hosting it, it could get ugly... Or worse, you'll see a Titan up, log in and find it's a newbie who doesn't even know the flagging mechanics, "Sigil of Dal what?" lol.