Playing Your Way Is Still Possible

I'm a player that does not like to join groups based on stats or combat rating, so I'll shout in LFG chat (Looking for Group) "Healer for Inner Sanctum" or "Troller for any T5 Raid" or "Tank for Bludhaven" or "DPS for Trigon Alert" or things like that. Sometimes I find a group and sometimes I don't.

If I shout in the chat box "Forming group for Armory run, Iconic loadouts only" I'll eventually end up with a group of people fitting my request. There would likely be comments from other players criticizing that request in the chat box as well, but in the end my group still gets formed.

If I want to create a Gadget themed villain who's deeply afraid of physical confrontations, thus I customize his loadout around throwing projectiles as attacks only and a long distance weapon. Then I have the freedom to do it and enjoy all the fun that will come from fleshing out my idea.

If I find myself in a group of people who seem to only be concerned with the stats/styles attached to my character and end up being kicked because of it, I'll take the kick and go on about my business. If the kick was purely unjustified or they became spiteful and/or insulting...they'll get whats coming to them.
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There are changes players have experienced lately that can make it feel like the game you once loved no longer loves you or how you play (me being one of them), but I just wanted to post this and remind people that no one sets your gaming pace but you. No one determines your motivations but you, and ultimately no one can stop you from playing the way you want but you. Good, bad or a little of both.

Enjoy your gaming.

Play your way is
Pay you way.
Does not imply gameplay it implies how you are going to pay for the game.
It was always possible to "Play Your Way" if your way was not part of flow of playing it was immediately shut off by elitists.

I went into an instance of lower tier and all I did was POT, power dumpes, and debuffs...I barely attacked as the group wanted a challenge....so they got it...

Even us higher tier players can help them out...go into the support role and let the DPS of lower tier do their thing but we as higher tiered players have to back off out damage output and let them experience the content for what it is.

Sometimes I will use the LFG, most of the time I try to go with my league mates and if that does not work I pug it as a controller and when I can go all wild as a DPS I do....

You can still "play your way" yeah, because you can still choose whether or not you want to be a subscriber, buy products a la carte or just play for free without contributing anything.

"Play your way" is not only incorrect ("Free-to-play. Your way" is the correct slogan), but it has NEVER EVER referred to how we play the game.

Beautiful post, Twilight Man, very inspirational, mature and constructive. Of course, "playing your way" might cost you the exclusions from certain groups, but that's always been the price of anti-conformism, isn't it?

I think you totally misunderstood the topic, here.

Indeed. However, so many people continue to incorrectly assume that the slogan "play your way" (which isn't even the correct slogan) suddenly justifies everyone to break all the in game rules and tear things up how they want to.

This has never been the case.

With regards to the actual post which was written, you can't play how you want. You have to play following the rules of the game. If DPS don't want to use Weapon Mastery and aren't using anything nearly as efficient, then sure they're "Playing their way" but they're also disrupting the group by not doing their job. Likewise, if I decide "hmm, I'm not power dumping today because I want to play my way" as a controller, then I will struggle to beat the content.

When the developers do give us ways to be more flexible with how we play (such as Weapon Mastery or the Hand mod which gives us 60% damage modifiers every time) so we can use whatever loadouts we like, there's an uproar that the game is being diluted and made easy.

So "play your way" but "play your way" within the rules and don't be a ******* about it.

For a game that's coming up to it's 4 year anniversary, it's good to see that people are able to keep things fresh and enjoyable. While I personally would not answer the call for an "all lantern group" or something quirky like that, there's definitely nothing wrong with finding like minded people who are looking for fun and unique ways to play. As far as being specific about your toons back story, I totally agree with making a character that you can immerse yourself into to get the most out of your game time.

(always like your sig twilight)

I understand what you mean and i agree with you. The "play your way" style shouldn't nullify the purpose of the roles: it means that, while you are doing what you are supposed to do, you can also add your own personal touch. A controller is not just a blue battery, but keeping the power flowing it's certainly one of the main concerns of the role. A tank is not only a punching bag, but he should never forget what's his role in the team... and so on.

I think that the OP meant that with his post. If I want to create a melee healer, I don't see why I should be prevented from doing that (you know, healers should stay out of trouble, they say). As long as I keep healing myself and the team and I don't die every minute, I shouldn't be kicked out of a session only because I wanted to do something unconventional. That's the spirit of "play your way", in my opinion.

Of course, there is an optimized, canonical and conventional way to play a role, in order to obtain the maximum out of it, but if you can trade some of that effectiveness for more fun, without being a dead weight for the team, just go for it. Stay on top of the charts it's pointless if you are not having fun.

I agree too but it has to be within reason. A melee healer isn't viable. I'm sure someone extremely well skilled could get away with it in certain instance, but I disagree that you should be able to basically pick random balls out of a tumbler with various DCUO words on them and assemble them and expect that to work in game.

If you wish to try things out like an iconic powers only raid run, then do things like that with your friends/league for fun. Don't subject the wider community to it. Play your best when playing with people who aren't there to mess around.

I largely agree with and admire your philosophy, Twilight Man, but there is one game mechanic that makes things much more difficult.

You can form a group and then be kicked out of it.

As the app-users begin to dominate the group-forming process, it will become less and less possible to form an eccentric group for content. It would be like trying to form a raid and expecting that neither troll will say the now standard: "Who has POT? What is your vit? etc."

If these apps become a big part of the ingame culture, then simply trying to form an unusual group will become increasingly difficult, because they will have every (legal) right to join your group that you are forming and then conduct a vote to kick you out of it based upon their "stats are all that matters" approach.

Hell on a Controller...

All true.
Everyone is free to enjoy the game how they like.

Just don't be upset when a wonky loadout isn't readily accepted buy the majority of the playerbase, but then, that's what the time constructing the correct group is all about.

All of this talk about app users this and that...it's utter BS. I have yet to see a single instance where myself or ANYONE in ANY group I've been in has been booted due to the app.

Don't respond to queue in a reasonable time...yes.
Don't listen to instructions and wipe the raid more than once...yes.
Act like an ****** in voice chat (loud music/racial slurs/being a ***** when your performance was crap)...yes.

Kicked due to someone looking you up on app...not even once.

when quoting "play your way" backfires..

Fascinating how often the concept of "work" shows up in certain approaches of telling other people "how to play a specific video game"

Also, the "rules" you refer to are actually the BS made up by a certain part of the community often called "elitists". Rules are made up by SOE. Done. You are just a customer amongst others, nothing special, just the same Joe Nobody everyone is (assuming there are no celebs keeping an account here ). You and the likes of you should learn to deal with it. "Working" in a video game does not turn any nobody into a somebody; it just turns nobodies into more stressed nobodies

I never encountered groups judging you by using the stasi app or something. When I pug I never say anything about SP or CR. Just like the OP stated, I too only say "Healer here for XYZ" or something like that.

Also I don't shout CR requirements when I form a raid. I never encountered being kicked from somewhere so far nor have I ever voted to kick somebody unless he was a d*ckhead in some way or AFK for like 10+ minutes without saying anything. Even if he is dps and way below the other dps'es, well maybe he doesn't know a good loadout? I sometimes ask them or look at their rotation to give them tips.

As mentioned before the "play your way" (not the slogan thingy) idea is nice and all and everyone should enjoy a game he/she pays for but there's always the thing that this is a MMO, meaning if you 'play your way' in a group and thus interfere with the other's gameplay the error is at your end. In a group you're not only responisble for your own fun but also for the groups fun. If you can't do that, maybe a MMO isn't the right game for you.

So play your way but respect the others...or something Of course this may backfire since I've never encountered a MMO community so... I don't have the right word, but it's surely a negative one ... like in DCUO. This shall not insult anyone right now but just look at the forums, look in the game, read stories about kicking, I've never heared words like "elitist" or "beast" before to judge someone... a high percentage of the community is just messed up.

You csn play your way -

As long as you are 108cr and 125-150 skill points minimum

Loving the 20+ minutes to get into a raid post app release. Now the leaders brings in as role, tells the group the players skill points, cr, and sometimes their based stats -then puts it to a group vote. If they don't deem the player worthy, the playe is kicked, they bring someone else in, and the cycle repeats. God I love those apps

The best is when they've gone through so many players, and you are over the 20 minute mark, and they just wind up "settling" for a player that ha lower cr, sp, etc.... than the first half dozen they kicked. I'm just loving the new and improved dcuo

Really? I don't know who you run with, but that Definitely isn't the norm. I pug a ton on multiple toons, 2 t6 and 1 t5 plus a slew of alts scattered across all tiers, hero and villain, and I never run into these groups. I find this amusing and confusing at the same time.

One can do whatever he wants...with a league that supports his adventurous and curious spirit. Please do not subject the masses to high unorthodox spec and play methods unless highly tested and honed by yourself/oneself, with lots of practice in league. Better safe than sorry, if one is that worried about being kick from the current run. The whole twist on "play your way" and the line "I am not a battery" (because this too has gotten misused) is hurting the game more than it is doing the game good. Because, unlike the OP, not everyone takes the time to make their own groups to their liking, instead they rush through and want to force their "style" on others and always be accepted regardless.

Now, if you don't feel like working with a league, and you don't mind potentially being kicked for being "too different" and making a mistake here and there, then by all means, go for it! I had lots of fun exploring my celestial builds, but I didn't hold it against anyone if I got kicked by not fulfilling someone else's expectations. In team-work, sometimes "I play my way" is selfish enough to where you're thrown in the highway.