Auto-grouping

[HungarianRhapsody]

http://www.tentonhammer.com/ddo/prev...utm_medium=rss

While the Menace of the Underdark expansion will include a few feature refinements – auto-grouping, levels in the enhancement system, and an achievement-driven Monster Manual for newer players to name three – the main draw is scads of new content. Most DDO updates include three to five dungeons and one wilderness area. The Menace of the Underdark expansion will contain three large adventure packs (each with their own wilderness and public areas), plus a challenge pack and a raid. These wilderness areas are forested, as you might expect, but will include variations on the arboreal theme, such as a drow decimated area, a sparsely wooded highlands area, and a forested wetlands area.

Can anyone who has experience with LotRO's auto-grouping feature explain how it works in LotRO and what they think of LotRO's auto-group feature?

This is a major change for DDO and I would like to hear more about how it works in the "other" game before giving in to cries of DOOOoooOOOMMM!

[EnjoyTheJourney]

Why would we want to waste a perfectly good opportunity to proclaim doom?

On that note ...

DDDDDOOOOOOOooooooOOOOOOMMMMMMMmmmmm



PS: What am I saying doom about, again?

[Impaqt]

Change? Sounds more like an addition to me. I cant imagine they would force anyone to use "Auto-Grouping"

[DarkAlchemist]

Change? Sounds more like an addition to me. I cant imagine they would force anyone to use "Auto-Grouping"

They did in LOTRO but I am uncertain if that mechanic would work in DDO.

Over there we used to do dailies (skirmish runs trying to get our daily allotment of marks) but now to get the same thing you used to get (they removed dailies) you MUST use the auto grouping. I went back over there last week and did a scour of the net to figure out where my dailies had went and read the dire news. At first it was a 50% increase in loot, 10% more xp, etc... then came U6 and by force if you want what you used to get you *will* use the auto-group 'feature'.

I will tell you most people in LOTRO hate the thing and just do a Google search to see the spit and venom from their players over the forced aspect and they just don't like it. It penalizes you if you wanted to join it with friends (this part I don't understand) because if enough join that auto-group your friend may not be in the same group as you (this aspect is another reason they hate it over there pre u6).

[Havok.cry]

I predict that new people will love it, as will people who love the chaos of pugs. For myself, if it is anything like WoWs auto grouping, I will never willingly pug again.

[DarkAlchemist]

I predict that new people will love it, as will people who love the chaos of pugs. For myself, if it is anything like WoWs auto grouping, I will never willingly pug again.

HIGH-FIVE because this is exactly what it is like in LOTRO. I clicked it telling it what I was looking for and what role I wished to play and sat in a queue waiting for that queue to fill... it never did so I couldn't play through it to see.

edit: http://www.lotro.com/gameinfo/devdia...rds?lang=en_US this will give you a look at how it works over there. After it was put in people seem to hate it and I know I couldn't get anyone on it to test it out.

Notice that Turbine admits that it ticked off many players but they continue to say, basically, tough. This ticked off even more players over there so I don't know what will happen in DDO but I have predicted that would make its way here and poof it seems to be coming.

[HungarianRhapsody]

They did in LOTRO but I am uncertain if that mechanic would work in DDO.

Over there we used to do dailies (skirmish runs trying to get our daily allotment of marks) but now to get the same thing you used to get (they removed dailies) you MUST use the auto grouping. I went back over there last week and did a scour of the net to figure out where my dailies had went and read the dire news. At first it was a 50% increase in loot, 10% more xp, etc... then came U6 and by force if you want what you used to get you *will* use the auto-group 'feature'.

I will tell you most people in LOTRO hate the thing and just do a Google search to see the spit and venom from their players over the forced aspect and they just don't like it. It penalizes you if you wanted to join it with friends (this part I don't understand) because if enough join that auto-group your friend may not be in the same group as you (this aspect is another reason they hate it over there pre u6).

This sounds like the entrance to the Mabar dragon "raid" where people got thrown into random groups and ended up in different even if they were already in a party and wanted to run that raid together. I didn't enjoy that.

I do like the idea of giving people an opportunity to throw their lot in with the random number gods, but I don't think I like the idea that anyone would be pushed into that if they weren't interested in it or if they already had a group that they wanted to run with.

[DarkAlchemist]

This sounds like the entrance to the Mabar dragon "raid" where people got thrown into random groups and ended up in different even if they were already in a party and wanted to run that raid together. I didn't enjoy that.

I do like the idea of giving people an opportunity to throw their lot in with the random number gods, but I don't think I like the idea that anyone would be pushed into that if they weren't interested in it or if they already had a group that they wanted to run with.

That is exactly what it is like and pre U6 (the daily skirmish removal) people were complaining about that aspect of it. Come U6 most are only talking about the loss of their daily skirmishes for tokens.

[Urjak]

From reading the LotRO description auto grouping looks really bad ... lets hope some goblins break into the Turbine vault and steal the code for auto-grouping >_<

[Flavilandile]

This sounds like the entrance to the Mabar dragon "raid" where people got thrown into random groups and ended up in different even if they were already in a party and wanted to run that raid together. I didn't enjoy that.

I do like the idea of giving people an opportunity to throw their lot in with the random number gods, but I don't think I like the idea that anyone would be pushed into that if they weren't interested in it or if they already had a group that they wanted to run with.

Well we already complain that the way Mabar works is stupid/wrong/bad/<put relevant qualifier here> and that It Needs To Be Fixed/Removed/<put relevant word here>

Grouping was working fine through the LFM panel until they killed it with the several changes that occured over the last few updates ( party bars that made Clerics stop pugging, Bravery Bonus that made everybody go for elite and nothing else, ... )

[Havok.cry]

Ok a small change to my statement: I wouldnt mind auto grouping for challenges. I never put up a lfm for those because I don't want to lead them, and I just get tired of soloing them.

If they make ANYTHING only enterable through auto grouping though, it will be the end of my DDO experiance. I will NOT be forced to play with people I don't want to. EVER. Not calling dooom, maybe many will like it, but for me, it would be the end. I can only hope the devs think long and hard about how they implement it.

[DarkAlchemist]

Ok a small change to my statement: I wouldnt mind auto grouping for challenges. I never put up a lfm for those because I don't want to lead them, and I just get tired of soloing them.

If they make ANYTHING only enterable through auto grouping though, it will be the end of my DDO experiance. I will NOT be forced to play with people I don't want to. EVER. Not calling dooom, maybe many will like it, but for me, it would be the end. I can only hope the devs think long and hard about how they implement it.

You can still group up in Lotro with friends etc... but the MAJOR incentive is not to as all of the carrots on sticks in front of the players noses went to the new auto grouping instance panel.

[Havok.cry]

You can still group up in Lotro with friends etc... but the MAJOR incentive is not to as all of the carrots on sticks in front of the players noses went to the new auto grouping instance panel.

Can you solo if you want to?

Edit: and did they lose any bonuses for grouping with freinds, or was it just new bonuses that went to the autogroupers?

[DarkAlchemist]

Can you solo if you want to?

Edit: and did they lose any bonuses for grouping with freinds, or was it just new bonuses that went to the autogroupers?

I solo over there and the bonuses are far superior when randomly grouped up using the instance panel (auto grouping). It isn't by a little I mean serious bonuses.

[Havok.cry]

Well all I can say is: I hope the DDO dev team does not move towards the "lock them in the basement so I have someone to play with" mentality of forcing random groups.

[MRMechMan]

Scary stuff.

I often pug, but I also often want to ONLY play with a couple guildies/friends.

Many experienced players feel the same way.

I hope that the bonuses for getting other players thrust upon your group are not so large that it is essentially required.

I hope even more that it is not straight-up mandetory.

Either way, I think this is an incredibly poor change for DDO.

[Coldin]

I will be totally in support of the auto-grouping feature...so long as it doesn't have any buffs attached to it. I don't want to be punished for setting up a group through an LFM, and that's what will happen if buffs are given for using the autogroup.

[Tenchi]

I look forward to this feature, however, I do hope they still keep the classic LFM stuff. I like the randomness of PUGs but sometimes, I would love to be able to see how other groups are forming and who is in what group (obviously, I do not join groups with people that have... repeated offenses...)

I think they can do away with the bonuses. I do not see the point of forcing people into this system. That would be like fixing something that is not broken.

[Dandonk]

This has the potential to be very scary indeed. I will hold off judgement until I see some details, but it could end up very bad indeed if it's anything like LOTRO or WOW things.

DDO generally has good grouping mechanics. The LFM panel works fine. Don't try to fix the broken Dungeon Scaling by forcing people into random groups, please.

[Ryiah]

DDO generally has good grouping mechanics. The LFM panel works fine.

It works just fine if you don't mind looking over who you are accepting. Lately I'm seeing more and more people with low HP, low or no fortification, or even both. In some situations it has gotten so bad that I've started avoiding entire guilds that I've learned make no attempt to teach even the basics to their members.

So yes, it works just fine. If you can carry the party by yourself.