So with the advent of this latest blog post and update everyone is saying that solo play is dead. And while it is objectively true solo play got harder compared to large group style play, its capability is subjectively in question. But that isn't what this post is going to discuss. This post is going to discuss groups and forming groups within the game.
Currently groups succeed in this game, and they do so because the gameplay favors players who work together. This is great for people who belong to a community or for those with several friends who own the game. But what do you do for the solo player or the handful of 2-3 group players? How do you let them play with the big boys.
[b]First lets discuss why players don't form groups with other players ad-hoc and in game.[/b]
-Players inherently don't trust other players. Why would you trust someone you just meant?
-Players see a solo player as a free meal. Why risk alliance when you can just take?
-TTK is very low, so risk avoidance is your best bet, and the best way to avoid a risk is to neutralize it. This is why most players KOS.
-Coincidentally, assuming you have a base and sleeping bag, the cost of dying is relatively low all things considered, so the risk of losing in a fight is not as severe. Just as a hyperbolic example, and not as a legit suggestion, if players were forced to stop playing for a week if they died, players would be much less likely to engage in potentially life threatening fights.
-Clan warfare, and the fear of spies. Why let this guy in when he might just be a scout for a rival player?
-Simply because KOS is fun and "trolling". This is not something I think will ever change.
Now how do we change this? Obviously the end goal for rust would be major player factions. Players rising up to form tribes so they can feel more safe, and ultimately make late game equipment. This works well for already formed clans, and for friends, but how do you create this environment in game?
This isn't a solution thread, I don't have a solution. Teams and the elimination of friendly fire is a bad idea as it shoehorns a narrative and restricts emergent gameplay. But there must be some way to push players into realizing that collaboration may benefit both of them more than anything else.
[b]So the question is this: with team work being the obvious choice within rust, how do we encourage players, through gameplay, to engage each other cooperatively as opposed to the violent KOS deathmatch the game currently is?[/b]
Need more of the modules implemented, Metabolism for example so that you sort of "depend" on one another this creates a necessity to trust someone for at least trading purposes so you can feed yourself.
Once resources are scattered like oil only in arid and ore in the mountains then groups might spring up naturally that want to gather those resources thus like the gold rush, forming impromptu towns.
It's all about shifting the dynamic from threat to a resource to use. You want to make people more valuable alive.
Like a random showing up to a town... You want food and a safe place to stay? Put him to work.
PVE elements could do a lot towards encouraging friendly play as well. For example if there was a giant robotic killing machine that got dropped on the map as part of some server event that went and targeted huge bases, it would give the giant clans something else to focus on, while acting as a base equalizer for the smaller groups.
If there were packs of rabid wolves that roamed the map (with actual threatening AI) that pounced on lonely players but tried to avoid bigger groups it could encourage making some friends.
Along with a more extreme metabolism it could give enough difficulty to the survival aspect of the game that people really wouldn't WANT to be a backstabbing bandit every day.
People would still be dicks.
This game lets them justify being so.
You could add AI robots, animals, or extreme weather, and you would still have the dick players.
The clans would just use an event to raid smaller groups and solo players so when it ends, they would have the upper hand.
[QUOTE=jumonjii;48279784]People would still be dicks.
This game lets them justify being so.
You could add AI robots, animals, or extreme weather, and you would still have the dick players.
The clans would just use an event to raid smaller groups and solo players so when it ends, they would have the upper hand.[/QUOTE]
The question is how to REDUCE dickish behavior and I think events work nicely to do that. You'll never completely remove dickish behavior that's just part of the game. And how does it remotely make sense that big clans would ignore a giant robot in favor of picking on players if that robot stands solely to destroy all their shit?
Hm, Life is feudal did this pretty well with two things. One, they had professions dependent on one another making teamwork neccesary. (Not advocating this, just saying)
Second, what I felt helped reduce KOS and the one thing I desperately want added is weight and objects that take multiple hands to carry.
I found difficulty moving the more basic resources in large amounts and having to place them in stockpiles decreased KOS dramatically due to the payoff of killing nakeds being low.
Most of the time you just end up with a hand full of twigs rocks and berries. People might raid your base if you have some light weight refined things, but overall your basics weigh folks down and are not worth stealing.
[QUOTE=DeadRisen;48282021]the payoff of killing nakeds being low.
...
People might raid your base if you have some light weight refined things, but overall your basics weigh folks down and are not worth stealing.[/QUOTE]
I think this is the right track but from a different mechanic. As we get higher tier metals ("metals" plural--still hoping we'll see [URL="http://m.imgur.com/a/BYUMl"]salvage and scrap metal[/URL] come in for theme) and hopefully higher grade fuel, the geared up players won't be as interested in wood harvesters and their tiny houses with stockpiles of things that can't help fuel cars and such.
[QUOTE=Kdhunt2000;48279264]So with the advent of this latest blog post and update everyone is saying that solo play is dead. And while it is objectively true solo play got harder compared to large group style play, its capability is subjectively in question. But that isn't what this post is going to discuss. This post is going to discuss gngage each other cooperatively as opposed to the violent KOS deathmatch the game currently is?[/b][/QUOTE]
Posted the answer already,
Garry has to make an in game looking for group menu with clan support, including member privileges.
It is what it is.
only reason why people dont meet up and group because there is no function to allow them to do it.
[QUOTE=RaaR;48282067]Posted the answer already,
Garry has to make an in game looking for group menu with clan support, including member privileges.
It is what it is.
only reason why people dont meet up and group because there is no function to allow them to do it.[/QUOTE]
This is a terrible solution though.
[QUOTE=Kdhunt2000;48283717]This is a terrible solution though.[/QUOTE]
But, it is what it is
[B]First lets discuss why players don't form groups with other players ad-hoc and in game.[/B]
But..........in over 1,000 hours of which at least 500 were solo (across legacy and experimental versions I have not found this to be true.
Granted if I had to call it I would say its 50% up for being mates/cooperation and 50% KOS, but this is the point - the players have a choice.
I now play medium scale clan based play and am loving it, but if that all ended I would be very happy going solo again and adjusting my play style to suit.
Such a solution already exists on all Rustafied official servers, just visit here [url]http://www.rustaforum.com/gc/[/url]
[QUOTE=RaaR;48282067]Posted the answer already,
Garry has to make an in game looking for group menu with clan support, including member privileges.
It is what it is.
only reason why people dont meet up and group because there is no function to allow them to do it.[/QUOTE]
Assisted LFG removes immersion, and tarnishes emergent gameplay.
I disagree. Part of the game is danger. Part of danger is that you may be double-crossed by someone you've made "friends" or teamed up with. Espionage and infiltration is as big a part of this game as chopping trees and picking rocks.
You know what's a great mechanic for teaming up with people and making friends? It's already available to anyone. "Social skills". Try it sometime. It actually works.
[QUOTE=Malexion;48284397]Assisted LFG removes immersion, and tarnishes emergent gameplay.[/QUOTE]
Maybe that's true for you
[QUOTE=Jithvan;48283968]Such a solution already exists on all Rustafied official servers, just visit here [url]http://www.rustaforum.com/gc/[/url][/QUOTE]
that's great but that's for 3 servers out of the thousands or how ever many they have now.
[QUOTE=Crunchmeister;48284666]
You know what's a great mechanic for teaming up with people and making friends? It's already available to anyone. "Social skills". Try it sometime. It actually works.[/QUOTE]
Social skills doesn't promote team work on its own. i'm sure you'll share your anecdotal story about blah blah friend blah team blah you all just need to be friendly blah
When the environment is more lethal I think there will be more encouragement to group. Imagine having to worry about wolf packs, infections from bleeding, starving, drowning, freezing, AND acid rain.
As a solo player I find it less desirable to join a group because alot of groups are just straight up morons.
Not in the fact that they just want to troll or KOS you but rather when the time comes to be organized and coordinated, they are still fucking off and not trying to be productive for the group.
In my head, as much as it takes a solo person (especially now) I find that I am too regimented and to organized for most groups.
Great thread, great question, I like it and never really thought about this in a Rust context.
I think one way they could encourage things would be to have an in-game clan management system where when you are part of a clan, you cannot cause trouble to fellow clan members. This would include no damage when PVPing, not being able to damage structures placed by clan members, not being able to loot sleeping clan members, etc.
In a very natural way, you'd find that everyone would just form clans. The solo players would form a server-wide clan and play whatever way they want and they'd be safe from clan members both for PVP and raiding. This would naturally pit the clans vs each other, and all the solos would be just another bigger, looser clan that doesn't work together necessarily.
All this would work, but I feel the lack of clans is one of the aspects that make Rust what it is. There is friendly fire.. There is betrayal... There is a sense that you can never quite trust anyone and I think adding clans would take away a lot of this. Rust is harsh and unforgiving and that's a big part of what makes Rust a great game.
I suppose a system like this could be a server option, allowing owners to decide if they want or not to enable it depending on the kind of experience they want to create.
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