"Looking For Group" Feature Suggestions

Made in powerpoint in case people wondered.

I've recently come back to the game a couple of months ago and for the most part have blundered along in glorious nostalgia, wandered into planes of prophecy and beyond and started doing signature quest lines and worked my way to 120. I've been demolishing all the solo content every day to get myself geared to the point where I'd be acceptable to groups.

I'd like to do some of the heroic stuff, but the dungeon finder umm...doesn't do anything, and really the only thing I can do is try to keep 1 eye on general chat to see if anything's going. And of course, there's the whole, I've never done anything on heroic and are people going to get mad at me for not knowing all mechanics etc. So I'm still a bit shy about asking to join a random group and there's no way I'd try to form one.

I think the main reason for this is, that this game has more complex mechanics and is generally speaking, more difficult than 'other games' where you can just join a random queue as 'tank fighter healer' and it matches you with random folks irrespective of skill level, gear, knowledge and you can probably be successful doing whatever it is. Its not simply a matter of ticking boxes for [x] is tank [x] is healer etc. In games (like ESO, for example) with a robust group finding mechanic, the roles are not as important - sure, that match system asks you to queue as tank, healer, etc. and the fights do have "mechanics" but the reality is if you get a tank who can't tank or a healer who doesn't heal, you can usually still finish it because the class system is a bit more flexible.

As someone pointed out in a previous post here, a group finder here is difficult because there are so many variables. The last thing you want is to be formed into a group that has no chance at being successful at the desired content.

I think the most practical solution, from the perspective of a new(ish) returning player who would like to experience a lot of this content, would be to create something more like a social window/interface showing people with LFG flags with basic info about class, a few relevant stats (resolve/fervor/potency?) and perhaps a tickbox as to whether or not they know the mechanics and let people actually talk to each other. I can't see an automatic group queue thingy working without causing a lot of hassle - and if it causes hassle, people wont use it.

Do THIS!!

This would be awesome! I love the players listed on the right with stats viewable, allowing the group leader to pick the right class with the right attributes to fill his group. While also showing others his own and a small snippet of his own experience in grps and what he brings to the grp in his mind. I think a system like this could really revitalize the PUG environment.

I know there are those who PUG a lot and that is awesome. But due to past experience where I was stuck killing one named for 30-45 min. I only run zones with friends now. And to be honest, that whole grp is pretty select even among friends on who we bring along on expert or challenge runs. This really is only because of time limits and the desire to make sure all objectives are met in that specific time constraint. When we run all of the Experts, it takes us about 2 1/2 hours. There are teams doing it much faster but this is our avg. So to take someone who may need a bit of carrying could extend that by an hour or more. So getting the right person for an expert run is vital as time is the most valuable commodity for something like this.

Well done my friend!

DO THIS!!

You know how they have a LFG channel, well only AllAccess can use it, what about people who can't afford AllAccess? Newbie chat is sooo silent, no one ever answers you

I'm retired and on a fixed income, and I manage it. I've had guildies who babysat, mowed lawns, and even collected returnable bottles for the 5 cent deposit in states where that's still a thing to make their $15/month for the game. Most people can just eat one less pizza a month to make room for it.

It's all just a question of "How important is time in Norrath to me?"

Im not arguing with you

Can you guys hire this person as a consultant?

I have not used it for years, but if I was making an executive decision, it would be this.

Enhance what people are already doing.

The person that wants the group, creates the setup. Lets say they need 1 tank, 2 healers, 3 dps in a certain level range. Then they click the create button.

Then, a message goes to chat, about a group forming for a certain zone, along with a clickable link. Players that click the link are automatically joined in the group,. If they don't fit the criteria, or the group has the types filled, then the player will not be joined with the group.

This save a lot of hassle for the person creating the group. They don't have to type names, ask questions about classes before inviting, or type to invite anyone. It just does what it supposed to do, no hassle.

Then once a group is ready then a player can zone everyone in.

Just model it off WoW. It works, for all levels. If it was like that I would use it. Certain requirements to be able to do certain dungeons, all the filters, it works. I would play more. This feature is another reason you lose to the competition. You have a lot of beautiful designed dungeons, many people probably dont even know about. they are just told to run agnostics.

Hmm never used it. I notice a lot of people say you need to be able to see the stats of potential members for it to be useable but surely that would just mean less idea members would continue to be excluded. Since those with have good gear probably already have access to groups, would this really help improve grouping? Outcast players would continue to face grouping discrimination

I have read a number of points in this thread that basically say it won't work because mixed/casual groups cannot succeed. I suspect that is the issue that needs to be resolved ..

That's not it at all.

If you do not have the minimum Resolve for a zone, you can't do squat. You can't hit the mobs. That's a hard exclude, unless you have guildies who are willing to run the zone with 5 people while you lay dead on the floor.

If you do not have sufficient health, especially as a tank, you are going to be on the floor dead and won't do any damage to the mobs, can't heal, can't buff, etc. Go out and harvest dens and get the rare hides, then have a crafter make you a bunch of Voidpiercer's Bardings of Health to raise your health. Aim for 400K, 500K for tanks. If you can't get that high, okay, but "don't be dead on the floor" is pretty vital.

The last thing it might be helpful to know is Potency, though Resolve is a somewhat useful proxy for it. People can reasonably discuss what the minimum POT should be for various zones. I'm guessing 130K POT for T1 Normal Heroics? But if you want to run Expert Heroics, you probably need MUCH more POT. Prioritize HP before Potency (dead = bad, mkay?). As your armor and gear improve, you can start shifting your bardings back to POT.

I understand the need to meet minimum stats for zones, my point is that the need to have such minimums is part of the problem, minimum requirements are intrinsically segregative. Unlike what I recall of EQ1 where if someone has half the gear, they will contribute half as much, in EQ2 if someone has lesser gear they will contribute nothing but failure and frustration.

For a lfg tool to work in EQ2, imho, it would need a lot of players lfg, across all ranges of gear with all types of class types, to be useful/used which just does not exist.

Simplicity is key. This has too many bullet points, icons, check boxes, tabs, scrolling. Overwhelming to open and sort through.
Group Title, 6 icons representing the group, shield for tank, cross for healer, sword for dps, X for available space in the group. And add a small message for the group leader to list requirements if they need to. Click to apply for an invitation.

@ Shimizu

Best advice I can give new and returning players is to join an active guild that plays in your timezone. This late into the expac, you are under geared for experts and likely heroics as well. Most guilds will make it a point to take along lesser geared guildies into groups and even raids to help them get caught up.

Soloing will only take you so far.

* meant to do this as reply to your post, but got distracted.

Show me your version.

i got your answer to your problem.

but first we have to identify the problem, this is what your staff didnt do, and as that was not reached - it tells me they work for eq2 and dont play this game.

identifying and addressing problems needs this ^ type of attentive analysis. i noticed something, and i found out that part of the situations is not articulated properly.

so first problem :
NO STANDARD OF MEASUREMENT.
you have to put properly gear characters into a zone. you cant just stick dude in veilwalker gear into a heroic zone.
Your team of programers and game dev's set the BAR so dang high in this expansion they are expected to solo for a LOOONG time. group finder will not, cannot help these people.

first, players have to spend there time running solo instances for months, then move onto diaku corral solo, then maybe can start expert mode heroics provided the amazing wonder team doesnt set the bar higher like they did Today.

but so long as that bar keeps getting raised A STANDARD OF MEASUREMENT has to be used.

we can just call it ''item level'' because resolve/potency and all the other crap doesnt make sense in 1 singular number.
so take my example item

APPLE CHARM:
10 to all stats 10 to stamin
10 to ferver 10 to critbonus
10 to sandwich making
10 to basketweaving
10 to somethingsilly

now you asign a VALUE of WORTH to each.
10 crit bonus equals 1
10 fervor = 20
stamina = .0001
primary stat = .0001

and your magic number redonculator adds up the numbers listed on the stat WITHOUT modifying each item in the game.
this magic number redonculator extrapolates the value of a given item. and THAT is your item level.
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now we move on to implementation

heroic zone APPLE FARMING5000 requires a player to wear OVER 9000 ''item value''

player joines the group finder OR dungeon finder, and UPON JOINING - (very important, because it doesnt need to be constantly running)
the magic redonculator calculates the item value of the player and tries to match it to like players.
while having 3 ''must'' conditions.
must have tank
must have healer
must have dps +

(dps + is stated to allow for more dps, and preferably different types [ if illy, than no coercer, no troub ]

NOT KNOWING how to properly plan an algorithm is exactly why the game is in the state that its in.
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atm someone thought it was appropriate to tell a group of players, with 4 standby's swapping in and out, that they cant farm expert mode heroics to slowly gear up anymore, and now with all the months of planning in the trash because someone decided trash mobs needed to be harder. DOESNT HURT raiding guilds, it only hurts the little guy. which is a greater % of the population and a total turn off to newly returning $ubscribers.

the bar Keeps rising.
this game is turning into a $$FREEMIUM$$ Phone game.
gameplay and enjoyment grouping is going down - harder to even BEGIN.

sorry for this long rant, but in order for you to fix your program. you need to understand all of the intricacies that are involved.

***************************************************************************************************************************
i helped you with your dungeon finder algorithm
i did the work work for you.
now go forth and code it and have fun with what happens after lol...

(the aftermath is being forced to reread and understand what im talking about as far as the Bar keeps rising)

i really do hope you get this to work.
if you did it would be a self-balancing system.

it would be organized and straightforward what people have / need.

even certain aa's could have values assigned to it, so as to push players to lean towards those aa's while spec'ing this being used for new players who spend 99% of their time copying spec's and not learning to spec.

you need a more organized environment to allow for players to want to do the things they should be doing.
players should not be, copying aa's, they should be reading.

how many times is a player told in chat ''read'' something on wiki.

game needs a begining of proper tools in place that RETAIN new and newly returning players.

i dont see a single tutorial that tells players how to make a macro, how to walk a player through on stats.
even Eve online has this ^
and there server handles far far more throughput.

this game is very revivable, but it all comes down to this:

Does daybreak want this game revived, or is it going to let it die ?
and the players believe at the rate things are going, daybreak is letting this game die and is just going to $oak up what it can before moving on to the next project.

like any relationship, spouse, family, friends, WORK, projects; these things all have 1 thing in common.
it needs Care and Work to keep things going.

its my hope this game lives, but our fates are in daybreaks hands with what they do with this game.
priorities priorities...

our guild is target focused on recruiting the new and newly returning to retrain them into all the forgotten and lost information the game doesnt provide them with (everything)
we bring in new subs for you.
but its a taxing job - while i dont get paid to send you more clients, and i dont get paid to write algorithms for you.
i do have expectations from you.

my number 1 expectation is stop forgetting those people.
(not talking about me)
stop forgetting the new and newly returning players having to play catch up on everything, then stuck in solo's FOREVER.

I have never used Dungeon Finder or Looking for Group since I usually play with my hubby or with Guildies. But am interested in the dungeon features. I've thought of trying that with one character at least. It sound like the fact that bringing a Merc to the group cancels Looking for Group groups, if I understood right somebody saying that is a flaw because I love to play with familiar & mercenary; also sounds like better choosing stats are needed in forming groups. My 10 cents = inflation.

How about having whomever is starting a group open a drop down list of of those LFG? Then link those names back to EQ2U so the group originator can see their stats before they invite someone. I know some here are thinking that is elitist, but well geared players can only "carry" so many under geared players before the group fails over and over.

Which is why so many of us group with knowns over unknowns.

Since Daybreak creates Census, it would be silly to go outside to a site using the Census API to get this data. The game already HAS this data available.