Forming Group at Tier 1 - Failed

This is a long post, so I'm putting the TL;DR version here:
I tried to form T1 groups to do the content at level, and it was very difficult/nearly impossible.
There are a lot of high CR folks on the game that are willing to lower their eCR to help, not just carry - that's an option I hadn't considered.
There are some things a player can do to improve his/her odds, but my opinion is that some in-game fixes are needed.

Long Versions
I've been playing since Battle for the Earth came out. I decided I wanted to play an Atomic toon, and on Friday, I finished leveling up to 30. Having seen a bunch of posts on the forum telling low CR characters to form their own groups if they didn't want to have their fun smashed by high CR characters in T1/T2 content, I decided to try to do just that. This is a very imperfect experiment because I know how to LFG (most new players don't) and I know the instances and everything I can do to get marks/gear (e.g., bounties).

Friday, 6:45pm US eastern time: Having run all my solos, talked to Zatana, gotten the side missions by Watchtower Containment, etc., I began looking for T1 folks to run duos and alerts with. I used shout in the Watchtower, Metropolis and Gotham, and I used LFG. "CR 33 dps lf T1 partner for duos"

After about 10 minutes of shouting/lfging, I got a tell, "inv." I invited, and he turned out to be 108. I told him that I was looking for someone closer to my CR so that I could experience the content at level, and he wished me luck. So I came up with a new lfg/shout "CR 33 dps lf BELOW 50 CR for duos/alerts."

A couple of nice people sent me tells to let me know that I would likely not find anyone in LFG. (No sarcasm, they were very nice.) After another 10 minutes or so, a nice 163 asked if I wanted help. I told her, somewhat jokingly, only if she took off enough armor to drop to below 50. She did drop some armor, which was very nice of her, and we ran the Grodd duo. I thanked her but had to log for a few minutes. Then back to shouting/lfging...
I met another 160+ who first offered to just stay back and heal and then decided to take off everything by his weapon, and he ran two duos with me. Cool!

By now, I had been doing this for almost 2 hours, and all the T8s were logging in for DFW, so there was no way I was going to find anyone else. I queued up for the OMAC duo because it was the last one I need for the Ambush Bug feat and to finish off "The Two of Us" (I always do that one for the free repair bot!) I got in with a CR 39 ice tank. It took a little while, but we did it. I probably would have been more excited, but I'm not a big fan of that particular duo. Four T1 duos in 2.5 hours, not what I'd call a resounding success.

Saturday, 10:30am US eastern time: I start the same as before, but skip the solos so that I can focus on forming a group. I was shouting "CR 35 dps lf BELOW 50 CR for duos/alerts" for about half an hour with no luck. I was using lfg and shout in every zone I could get to, including the safehouses, because I was picking up all the T1 bounties. So I decide to try to form a bounty group. "CR 35 dps lf BELOW 54 CRs for T1 bounties" I also queued up for duos and alerts, thinking that I'd just walk out if I got in a group with high CR people. I only waited about 10 minutes before I just went over to Amusement Mile - hey, maybe if I attack Full House, others will join in.

A nice high CR came to my rescue as I was getting beat down, but I hadn't done enough damage to get credit. I threw in the towel on my plan to stick with T1/T2 toons and took him up on his offer to help. I kept shouting and over time got a group of four T1s to finish the bounties, mostly by grouping up with folks already near the bounties. We had a great battle with the Minotaur before we were all grouped up which involved a lot of pick-ups but also a lot of fun when we won! "Success" I thought to myself "now I have a group to run around with to do alerts." But, alas, two of them went to run content with their leagues and the other one logged off. I queued up for the rest of the alerts, and managed to get to T2 with only a little carrying in Smallville by a CR 68. Up until then, I had left whenever there was someone higher than CR 53, but I had been on for hours and just wanted to finish.

My opinion: The On-Duty menu needs an option to only group with relevant CR. If it had that, I could have queued for everything and done my solos and the toyman mission while waiting. Instead, I just got bored and frustrated. I'm not going to quit playing, but I can easily see why a new player would quit the game or quit trying to learn and just coast.

My recommendation: If you're low CR and want to run the content without someone smashing, put out a request in LFG for anyone willing to lower their eCR. You might be surprised by how many people will help. Just don't try it when there are a lot of people forming groups for end game content. Otherwise, queue up and leave if there's anyone that's high CR. It might take a while, but you'll eventually get a group. The downside is you will also run into low CR people that are expecting to be carried. Leave those groups, too, after trying to work with the team. It will greatly improve your enjoyment. You will probably still need some higher CR help in the raids, as those are still broken since game update 47, but you can ask them to hold back so you get the real running battle experience.

Part of the problem you are experiencing is the CR calculations and gear acquisitions at that tier level bumps you out of T1 rather quickly. (Note, not relevancy.) I'll be honest, that's a recent problem that the devs created. It was actually rather easier to find like cr members before GU47 changes to how CR worked. They were pushing players to bump CR quicker on purpose. Which isn't a bad thing for the sheer fact, players are paying for new content and new content will always be highest right now. Unless they go back to the model they had for BFE, where they had stepping tiers, I doubt you will find this method easy.

ECR is a good way for them to reach your bracket. Players aren't jerks when it comes to this game. There just ARE jerks in the game. Which is why I am completely against clamping. The balance and heartache we would have to go through wont change jerks.

Little food for thought.

Less than 10% of the overall playerbase use the forums.

Most new players go through the on duty tab for more than 90% of their content. Most new players dont figure out what LFG is until they are past T4.

Since CR raises so quickly, you will find yourself being out of T1 in less than 3 instances. GU47 made it where you jump CR so rapidly that you have to buy a DLC to progress further because your CR has jumped so high.

I like your experiment and it does hold water. However most new players dont have the time, nor the patience like you did to wait until they get someone at their own level. Which is a big reason why their experience is either ruined and they quit, or they accept the carry to endgame only to ruin other players experience.

When #Statsmatter comes into play high CR players will still destroy T1- T5 content.

And hopefully the new CEO has plans to correct this problem. ( I understand many people on the forums dont see this as a problem but I do.)

That's what I suspected before trying this, and I feel more strongly about it now. I'm not advocating for or against clamping. It's just wrong that some folks react to the few new people that DO come to the forum BEFORE quitting by telling them to just form their own group and quit QQing. Trust me - I'm never doing it again. I tried to quit halfway through on Saturday, but my leaguemates encouraged me to finish. (They probably thought it was funny! )

if they leave too much don't they risk getting banned? didn't they put in some kind of system to penalize deserters including account bans?

If it's this tough for T1 alerts and duos, I wonder how long it would take for T2 raids..

Early tiers go by quickly, but if the content isn't engaging, then it isn't fun. New players just want to actually play the game, instead of following behind OP players. I wouldn't doubt that improving this experience would increase player retention.

I don't know. I really hope I didn't just give terrible advice! Now I must research this! I only thought there was the deserter penalty, which, imo, is much better than spending 30 minutes in Area 51 while two of the players wouldn't leave the rally point after dying once. (Yes, that happened, and no, you can't kick both of them, and no, I didn't finish because we couldn't get past the third boss.)

No only the 1 minute penalty is there. You can leave groups as many times as you want with no penalty.

The only "penalty" for leaving a group is the 60 second deserter timer. You will never be actioned in any way for leaving a group.

^^ exactly! It's a Superhero game - I didn't come here to hold anyone's cape - LOL

I was psyching myself up to try to form a group for the T2 raids tonight. Aw shucks, the server is down. Guess that's fate telling me that I should no longer pursue this foolish path.

that's not exactly true. sure you get a 60s penalty but i definitely remember jens or ted saying that excessive deserting would lead to greater punishments.

i thought that was for pvp

Plenty of people are compulsive deserter and will desert if they don't like your Cr.... your Role..... the color of your Boots..... so if that was true...... many many MANY would have been banned already over this.

And there would have been MANY threads of outraged over being banned for no good reason.

Other then the 60 seconds deserter penalty.... there is NO penalty.

It was. And I believe it was for throwing matches and what not.

hmmm. i think it was for both but now i'm not 100% sure. 95%

As was mentioned.... the game is now designed to increase your level/CR at light speed.

The idea is the faster you level.... the faster you NEED to buy the next DLC.... and the next DLC...... and the next DLC.

So people don't stay T1... T2..... T3..... etc..... long enough to find people at level.

Sad.... but that is how it works now.

So you will quickly out level the content..... then YOU will be the one coming back with a high CR playing the content.

Recorded how fast you can go to T2 with my Batman Beyond.

Here is when I started T1.






Reached T2 halfway through that video.


Over all.... took me about 5 or 6 hours to reach T2.

Probably could have done it a bit faster if not for repeat crashing in South Gotham...... and pretty much needing to avoid South Gotham for a while.

So at best..... people will play T1 4 player missions ONCE at level.

So..... no real surprise if you could not find people at level needing to play them missions.

GW2 does well with it'e game design to address player ranks throughout it's game. Having PvE maps of certain CR range, if you are above that range your build makes a difference and puts you at top of the range with those stats you select in the build. Applies to dungeons/raids too.

DCUO.... maybe never expected to last beyond a few years, and did not plan for the long term. It's seen by killing NPC too quickly in some raids and it bugs out.

Vertical progression system... has issues. tiered zones..... which do not apply to heavily instanced game design... with no regard to high CR gamers repeating old content to get a style feat or quantity of alert or raid feat. or whatever might compel a user to not quit.

this game has been like a TV series.... It maybe writes 2 seasons, but has no expectations to reach season 2. Then it lasts for 3 seasons and some execs have left. New direction... which makes for a bad base to build on, with certain systems in place.

It was originally Buy to play with 1 month of free online play. requiring a subscription past the 1 month. Then F2P happened. with Premium. It used to be that your mentor selection decided which style you could buy. That was removed. Used to be multi-currencies. Used to be no AM or WM. Used to be no SideKick or Accomplices, etc utility belt.... this game has waxed and waned with trends, and now has episodes.....

Its a hot mess with a popular IP.

*I'm still looking for the signature i originally had, but can't find it. Doh!

At this point i wish they add an optional clamp to content so players can really see how bad low cr raids are. Healers don't heal, controllers don't give any power, and the dps are really bad. Players complain how the old raids were harder and had more mechanics, but want to run with players at cr who know next to nothing bout their role. I hope dcuo do it,but i know they won't, because new players will quit

Finally someone who's at the lower levels who's only solution isn't stat caps. We don't need that in this game and honestly no game does. The option for CR queue is a good non stat cap one, solo queue or portals is an even better one, but just taking your stats away makes leveling meaningless since you will always reach a certain point from which there's only so much you will ever be able to do in the game.

Updated content wouldn't work on this game either, since that would mean higher rewards but it would go against the business model of having drops tied to content. Unless they made a different drop for updated content that would still help for progression, because it's not SM, if I play old content at a higher level I expect it to be as rewarding was it was on the lower level, but doing this would take value away from relevant content, and lets be honest if we had updated content most of us would be doing that rather than the relevant content.