A few thoughts on the nature of the community. I have played AOC since 2014, on two servers (Fury and Crom, plus both Saga’s) and I have seen almost every type of player. One thing that has often frustrated me is that many players seem to suggest that if you don’t play as they do (PvE,PvP, RP, Solo, Raids,WB, RF etc) then you are not a legitimate player.
It is good to offer opinions from your own perspective, it can spawn healthy debate and information from a particular point of view. But I think we should all remember that this game has a diverse population of players, who enjoy many aspects of the game and there is not “right” or “wrong” way to enjoy this wonderful world of REH Conan the Barbarian. I enjoy all facets from PvE to PvP and even some role play. (In fact, I often wish there was more role play, the game is perfect for it.)
I haven’t played from launch as many have, and I can appreciate viewpoints from those that have- but as with all things, the game is dynamic. Things change, progress or decline- it is the way of all things. There is absolutely nothing wrong with diverse view points, even some constructive criticism- but I only wish we would all realize that our own way we enjoy the game, is not the only way.
It’s true that everyone got their own playstyle and almost every playstyle accepted to some degree (yeah, even griefing and ganking and so on).
But we can’t forget that we play in a multiplayer game - in many situations we can do what we want and however we want it but when it comes to cooperating with other players and playing in a group then exactly this can get problematic. If everyone just does whatever he / she wants in a group it will lead to some really bad frustration.
Best examples for these scenarios are playstyles that are very “niche”, such as DPS DTs or DPS healers. Healers got their abilities for a reason and leaving them completely out of one’s rotation is bad for the group, one player forces his / her playstyle on others and makes them “suffer” because of that player’s bad performance.
When it comes to playing with groups, especially “strangers”, everyone should adapt a bit to make life easier for everyone - just like in real life - because we are not (only) playing with NPCs but real people.
If someone decides to try out weird playstyles solo it’s totally fine but if that playstyle is really not efficient and “harmful” for the group’s performance then this player needs to adapt to the group and change the playstyle accordingly.
Obviously, if you are playing in a group with friends it’s a different story, they know each other and can adapt easier (trying funny / stupid or unusual things etc.)
Anyways, I totally agree that you can’t call someone bad just because he or she plays differently, that’s stupid and real “elitism”, but if that playstyle is just too special and harmful / annoying for other players during group play this player needs to change something and not the others players.
A good example of this: tanks that do not want to pick up flags vs people that want to play flags.
In PvP nearly every build can be viable; however in PvE this isn’t the case. Because each character can have multiple specs simultaneously, it is somewhat understandable in PvE why people don’t want to bring certain people on certain classes because they refuse to hit the “activate specialization” button.
People have a good idea of who the “top pvpers” are at this point. If you can put some pressure on them instead of farming the newbie on their team you’ll go a long way towards claiming victory.
Coming from the one man who has garnished more hate from the pvp pve and rp community combined and individually my hallmark belief is that the best way to help a wayward player is to be their friend. Then suggest a better path.
