Hardcore server player culture observations

[Zogid]

Hello,

I'm really enjoying the new server. I have been playing intensely and have several high level characters. Further, my early strategy was designed to quickly TR, so, i have 2 (dead!!) TRs.

With all this PUG playing i have definitely noticed different shifts in the play style of the lower level pug groups.

At first it was quite chaotic in many. However, if you found a group with some of the players that are now high level you lucked out and advanced quickly.
After this I noticed a more team oriented play in most groups. Everyone had shell shock from all the "surprise" deaths.

More recently I have seen a tendency to selfish play. I'm making no judgement of this play style. Just an observation. I often see a paladin tank build sneak back through a gate before it drops in an ambush or be the last to enter a fight.

Sometimes this is hilarious. Like when I was making my way through korthos in a pug group of 3 player. Me, a future inquisitive type, a ranger/barb tankish build, and a cleric. At the end fight the tank player was knocked down to -3 hp. Everything was dead and the quest was complete so with my bracers of aid ready i watched to see what the cleric would do. The player ran up to the tank, stood there for a bit, and ran back into the dungeon towards the parts we had already done. I healed him and we finished out. But, the tank player and I had a good laugh about it, and chatted for a while. It just looked funny, especially since the cleric was a gnome.

Other times its frustrating. Like, when you know the cautiousness of barbarians, or paladins, is making it far more likely the rogue in the group, the casters, or you will die.

The good players know... The best groups are always the ones where everyone plays their ROLE to perfection and the success of the group is seen as the number one goal. Of course, in permadeath you must look out for your own survival, but if have any heals, you should also have the healthbars of the other players under background observation.

I have a prediction:
There will be a lot of the scared play style types populating the ranks just below or if they are really good at this way of playing the bottom of the server lists. However, to achieve greatness in permadeath one must sacrifice a little safety to contribute to the group. This is all based on mutual trust.

What i do now is watch the players when i join a new PUG. The players i see that know how to balance cautiousness and aggression are the ones i help or rely on, depending on the situation. I will gladly risk my toon for these players. But, if i see you backing out of a fight with a high hp melee toon, or semi-piking in any way you do not receive any help from me when you need it. Teamwork is the way to succeed. Watch the top players, they have one or two friends they group with and thats why they succeed. Not because they are afraid, because they are confident.

Thanks!!

P.S.
Looking forward to more gnome clerics!! It lightens the mood thats for sure!

Good luck everyone and keep learning!

[Zogid]

For newer players:

If you see a barbarian running around like a maniac and it makes you think... man, i'm not going to lead in the kill count...
Who the #$^&@^@% cares about the kill count.
The barbarian is helping everyone in the group by getting all the aggro on them.
The other melee can pick off enemy casters. The ranged, warlocks, and casters in the PUG can then more freely unleash on mobs.
This is just an example. I don't play barbarians but I love playing in Pugs with good ones regardless of the toon Im using.

In some groups my dps melees are the tanks.. in others i'm more of a caster hunter and ranged protector.

If you are frustrated with the hardcore server... Don't blame the other players... watch them. Learn what to do and not to do and friend players who do well and also watch out for you. The build you make is very important but how you play that build is far more essential to your survival.

Know your weaknessess.. Mine is I like to challenge myself. So, i take risks, thats why I play DDO.

So, I die because even a 0.1% chance of death will get you eventually.

so far my average is not bad at 15-17 levels before a death. With some far higher and others lower.

[BiggerTroll]

How do I reconcile group dynamics with do everything zerg inquisitives and sorcs?

If someone wants to speed through a quest, I do not feel obligated to charge the beholder.

I'd rather spread wand buffs and blurs, or heals. Do everything and be helpful, of course. There's just no shared rubric for good teamwork.

Don't hurt the good players, and help the bad ones. Err... play nice...

[Lyr_Levaine]

As always, some pick up groups are better than others. I have been in many groups where the players understood their toon's roles, and did exactly what they were supposed to do, no coaching required … and I have been in groups where someone talked to Talon Darsin while the rest of the party was in the entryway, or talked to Brawnpits while someone was mid-way to the air spirit. "Oops … Sorry" Doesn't change the fact that one's toon is dead. Communication is vital, and if one or more party members aren't paying attention to voice or party chat, or just don't seem to care, either boot those members, or walk away. I was delighted yesterday, when a paladin asked me "Is it better for me to wait for your sneak attack to begin the battle, or go ahead and draw aggro?" Naturally, I told him to draw aggro, as I was intent on taking out the spell casters, then finishing off whatever happened to be swarming around him. I am a thoughtful ranged dps trapmonkey .. aside from not appreciating a room full of mobs aggro'ed on me, I know that it is frustrating for melees to have to chase down an enemy to kill it - so I only kite when running solo. Interestingly, that paladin was a TR - and knew the value of party communication.