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There have been fair arguments for the two sides as I see it, those who support pug minis and those who support grouping. I’ll go right out and say I support grouping and feel that pugs should be removed. Here’s why. No one has talked about player skill. A skilled player by definition responds to the environment in the most advantageous way possible. Knowing when to heal, when to CC, when to focus, when to kite; simple player mechanics. This environment can be 1v1, 6v6, or any structure. The skilled player adapts to the environment using their resources to overcome their opponents. One resource is other players. A skilled player understands their role in conjunction with their teammates mechanics. Another resource is communication. Unfortunately, in AOC, communication is limited to text since there is no built in voice chat. My guild uses Ventrilo, and when pugs group us together we are at an advantage because we can communicate. A troll will say this is using third-party software to exploit, which is ******** with some truth to it. Just the communication factor should advantage premade groups over pugs.
Another factor is the class makeup of the group. A premade has a natural advantage because the makeup is not random, but selected. Most guilds in my experience would only premade against Carnage when their ideal premade was online, which is understandable when grouping is taken to the ultimate competitive level. Time spent playing together is another resource skilled players use to their advantage, and is another factor that imbalances a premade versus a pug. Again, the troll would say guildies should never be in the same pug because they are at an advantage. The only way to satisfy the troll, and some of you, is to have everyone be guildless, friendless, and always solo. Unfortunately, this is the current state of AOC. It is catering to the single player, allowing them to reach pvp10 with no concept of group play. Everyone has an “equal opportunity” to achieve the endgame grind: pvp10. The community has let the reward of play dictate the state of gameplay.
The current community is vastly different than the playerbase of earlier years and launch. When I first played, guilds would prevent you from leveling and would completely lockdown entire zones, multiple instances even, to prevent their competition from leveling. A solo player would be decimated, and pugs formed just to hold grind areas to farm pve and protect from pvp, so naturally friendships were made and guilds were made. Guilds had kill on-site lists, siege alliances, and non-aggression pacts. For example, Carnage did not grief one guild in exchange for our small team of pvpers that could not form a 24 man raid to join their pve raids. For the majority of players, the endgame content was joining a guild and guess what, grouping with guildies.
Pug minis need to be removed completely. If you’re a solo player and now you can’t compete, make a friend, and group with them. Join a guild, and group with them. You should have friends, you should have guildies, in a game designed for grouping. Did you really grind to 80 solo? Really? I feel sorry for you. And if you’re a guild, compete with other guilds.
Now there are two last things I want to address. The first is tokens. They’ve destroyed minigames. Suddenly players want to play minigames because it became the easiest way to grind for competitive gear (gear destroyed this game imo but that’s another topic). At one time, a mix of pve gear and pvp gear was the best for pvp, so guess what, pvp players participated in pve content because they were forced to, to be competitive. The only players who participated in minigames did so because it was fun for them; casual play, competitive play, whatever. It was one small aspect of the game. Some guilds used minigames to prove their superiority over other guilds, some guilds used sieges, other pve accomplishments. The playerbase was split according to preference. Then tokens were introduced and all players wanted to earn them so all players became forced (again) to participate in content (this time minigames) for the gear grind in order to be competitive in pvp. Guess what, if you don’t like minigames, don’t play them. If you play them, adapt or quit, form premades, join guilds, compete. Don’t break mechanics of teamplay to make your grind easier.
For the last point that many of you repeat. One guild dominating minigames to the point that no one signs up. First, no one earns tokens. Players must find other ways to earn gear to be competitive. If no one likes to compete then go play content that caters to your playstyle. Don’t ruin the content for players who do enjoy it, because what no one is admitting is that some players will compete. Yes, everyone won’t be able to grind tokens, but some players will. Is one guild in the current population able to dominate minigames at all hours? I doubt it. Can one guild dominate during primetime? Yes, so compete with them or play when those teams log off. Wait, you mean you cannot earn you token whenever you want? Yes, that is what I am saying. It should be earned. Pvp levels should be an indicator of what was earned not what was rewarded.
AOC is the game for the carebear. I last quit in 2010 and after a few days, I’ll quit again because the community has ruined the best game I’ve ever played.
Ispy, Carnage, Deathwhisper ‘08
I don't agree on all points but everyone is entitled to their views