I give up on party in this game.

Free for all looting is the only reason I didn't bother teaming up during the stress test. Folks get too focused on running around picking up loot instead of questing and it's really not fun.

One of the toughest parts of being in a party is that
if you crash durring a load
by the time you get back your party is gone , and finding that person again if they are not on a friends list
is impossible.

The idea of everyone going into the same town was a good idea.

I can see it being incredibly messy later on when the
server populations increase in size.

As a suggestion i would reccommend that you only see
local chat and people in town within 2 levels of yourself.

this way when you put a request into local chat only
people of similar level would see it.

-----

as for FFA loot , yeah it's a bit of a drag.
we all leave an horrendous amounts of blues lying around.
but scrolls stones gems n runes.. everyone wants them.

---

I think standard and blue items should stay free for all , easier to pass around whats appropriate for each player , they only pick them up if they are applicable to their character.

But Rares Uniques Gems runes and scrolls are personal loot, which should make party play alot more appealing.

Also what people might not know is these things drop alot more durring team play. But perhaps each players
rare drop chance is seperate for such items and the group drop rate is the same , just they drop for 1 player at a time

------

I dunno it's deffinatly something that requires alot of
thought on how to be done properly.

I dont think everything being personal drops like in D3 is the best way , but for junk drops it probably is

"

StealthNerf wrote:

I don't party generally because I like to go at my own pace, and not feel forced. The whole game feels like a race to kill the next monster in a party.

Party play is pretty good with someone you know, but with randoms I often find the two play speeds to be too different.

This is mainly it.

I do occasionally party up, but with no more than 2 other people unless it's a group that I know everyone. It just gets too hectic.

FFA isn't really a problem. From my experience, the majority of people are fair in distributing loot and I'd say less stuff actually gets picked up when I'm in a party (ex leaving scrolls, unwanted low gems, and crappy rares behind)

FFA is fine as long as it's done honorably. If someone is pulling their own weight and not being sleazy about it and wants to play who can grab the good item the fastest, I have no problem with it. If you're fighting Merveil and your party member bails to loot the big chest though, that's just being a dick and I'll unparty right on the spot.

Long story short: it's mainly a pacing issue and FFA is only a problem when playing with dicks you wouldn't want to play with anyways.

"

Srkandi wrote:

If I want to compete, I'll play a PvP game. Competition for being the most anti-social member of a team is... well, let's just say it's a competition I'd never want to win ;)

Not to mention the fact that, as many others have mentioned, ranged classes will always be at a disadvantage when it comes to the "who's the most ruthless ninja" game, and I prefer to play ranged :p

It's not really a problem for me, though. Just one more reason not to group with strangers, which is fine because I prefer to solo anyway :p

It IS however a relevant response to the OP's (implied) question, which is "why won't people group with me?"

For some of us, it's because we think you may be like Vitacia, and will make it a point of honor to grab as much of the loot as possible :p

If you don't want to compete, you play SINGLEPLAYER. Multiplayer is always about competition. If it's not for the loot, it's about who gets more kills, who is the fastest, who is the strongest. There is always competition, that is the interesting part about Multiplayer.
The only kind of REAL teamwork is in team-based multiplayer-titles like Battlefield or Dota.

I play ranged classes too and have no problems with getting my share of the loot.

If you prefer solo anyways, so why do you even want a shared loot system? If you don't like competition in a game mode you don't play, why do you advocate so desperate against it?

It is not relevant to OP's question, because the game offers no comfortable grouping system. Changing the loot system will not make the players more talk active and social. It will just change the loot system. What the devs actually need to implement is a Lobby system like Diablo 2.

You can choose for yourself what kind of player you'd like to be. I'm fast and will pose a serious competition for you in playing the game on a fast level. If something drops we both need, I will try to get it before you. If something drops you could really use but I'm not specifically looking for it, you can have it. If you take something I might really need, I will ask you for it, but I won't shed a tear if you won't give it to me.

"

Pandemoniac wrote:

Free for all looting is the only reason I didn't bother teaming up during the stress test. Folks get too focused on running around picking up loot instead of questing and it's really not fun.

Excuse me... but where are you going with this? You are describing the elementary mechanic of this game.

Do you think a personal loot system will stop me from running around and picking up loot? I play this game fast, and I think there is nothing more annoying than players idling around, deciding what dress they should wear for the prom with the boss.

The FFA loot system forces my teammates to stick together and keeps them on their toes. If they idle too long in town or spending hours to assign a new skill point, they won't get any of the loot from monsters the group is killing in the meantime. If they have a problem with that, the only thing they need to do is find some players who like to casually play this game and form groups or even join clans. Nobody is hindering them of doing this.

If you personalize the loot system, people will have another reason to idle near the group and let others do the farming for them.

Again, this is a fast-paced action-rpg, and not an MMO. You have to EARN your loot. Killing FFA would be a decisions towards players who want everything handed to them on a silver tablet while not working for it.

"

Panda413 wrote:

If that is your personal experience, that is fine. However, these threads exist because not everyone agrees with you.

Like I said, FFA in PUG makes no sense to me personally.. but I wouldn't demand it not be included as an option.

(And yes, I have played D2. If it is such a great system, why is Blizzard changing it for D3?) :)

I have to admit, this post of yours made me cringe a little.

This threads exists because of the missing grouping system, not because of FFA loot.

If you think it doesn't make sense, read my posts in this thread again. I have already made SEVERAL points why this is a good system.

Diablo's loot system is fine. Diablo 2 is still up and running after more than 10 years with a very active trading community. So this should be evidence enough of how good this system works out.
And in case you haven't noticed, Blizzard changed not only the loot system. Blizzard changed the skill system, the heal system, adding a cash-shop and basicly turned Diablo 3 into ISO-WoW. I am here because I was a big Diablo 2 fan and Diablo 3 is doing everything wrong with this genre while PoE actually manages to stay true to its roots.

"

Vitacia wrote:

If you don't want to compete, you play SINGLEPLAYER. Multiplayer is always about competition. If it's not for the loot, it's about who gets more kills, who is the fastest, who is the strongest. There is always competition, that is the interesting part about Multiplayer.
The only kind of REAL teamwork is in team-based multiplayer-titles like Battlefield or Dota

You're nuts. "Multiplayer is always about competition, oh except when it's not". There's not some divine rule dividing teamplay in Dota or Battlefield from teamplay in ARPGs; the only thing that makes people not compete in those games (which is nonsense anyway, plenty of people compete for kills in both those games) is when players don't want to compete. So if players don't want to compete in Path of Exile, that's just as valid. Seriously, how is a bunch of people working together toward a goal (the goal being, kill monsters, basically) exempt from your definition of "team-based play"? What is a team if not that?

The one time I got invited to party, they were two levels higher than me so I guessed they would be further along the quest line. The game is too easy on the first run so I didn't want to group until I found Cruel mode anyway.

"

GusTheCrocodile wrote:

You're nuts. "Multiplayer is always about competition, oh except when it's not". There's not some divine rule dividing teamplay in Dota or Battlefield from teamplay in ARPGs; the only thing that makes people not compete in those games (which is nonsense anyway, plenty of people compete for kills in both those games) is when players don't want to compete. So if players don't want to compete in Path of Exile, that's just as valid. Seriously, how is a bunch of people working together toward a goal (the goal being, kill monsters, basically) exempt from your definition of "team-based play"? What is a team if not that?

Simple: there is a difference in fighting AI and fighting humans.

Fighting humans always keeps you on the edge. They are as smart as you and will use a big variety of tactics to get what they want.
Fighting AI results in a mindless grind which looses its appeal once you know its pattern. The feeling of accomplishment is a fake one, because the AI was designed to be beaten by you. It gets STALE.

So it's only natural people add flavor to this formula by letting compete players between them WHILE the fight monsters. Why do you think there is a ladder in this game? FFA adds excitement to this game. It adds a reason to not idle around all the time.

Again, nothing is hindering you from playing with friends, a clan or simply alone when you don't want to compete.

So, cooperation against a challenge that isn't other human players is just, what, an invalid concept?