The New Group Finder

I have not finished my Skull Gate Pass Onslaught feedback yet. But here is some feedback for the Group Finder.

General Feedback:

  • I love that you ported SWL “pathing” to AOC for Skill Gate Pass Onslaught. It gives the encounter
    a totally different approach then Kuthchemes. (Body pulling vs initial agro on tank)
  • The atmosphere is great with the lake and surroundings.
  • The Group Finder is a long wanted feature. Not only for finding groups, but most of all getting
    teleported into the instance and getting the action starter faster. So very nice first look. I Hope
    to see more instances added down the road.

Group Finder Feedback

  • There should be some kind of indicator on how many and what classes are missing. Especially for Weekly Raid. But also for groups so you know if anyone is actual signed for it(like minigame).
  • Some pre 80 instances can be quite hard if going with only 1 tank + 1 healer. And as Group Finder most likely will be new players first introduction to the dungeons it might be a bit hash to be put into a “balanced” group setup. Maybe one of the role could be a 1xTank/Healer. The result being that a group either has 2 tanks + 1 healer or 1 tank + 2 healers. Availability is important for new players, and not just crash and burn.
    On a side note; groups benefit greatly from a mage shield, especially against group wide dot damage. So the “extra” role could also be a 1xTank/Healer/Mage(aka support).
  • There is currently only possible to sign for a single role. There should be possible to select more then one prefereted role. So if for example I play a ToS I will sign for both a Healer and DPS, meaning I can fill both roles.
  • At level 27 you are still not able to see any available activites in the group finder. Would be nice to see what dungeons to look forward to next. So new players know when they can join the first dungeon. You have the level Prerequisites already in place.
  • One can join the Dungeons directly as “Enter As Private Team”. But the Onslaught and Raids require you to check the boxes. A suggestion for better usability is to add a Prerequisites to Onslaught that you need to select atleast one Starting Wave.
    For weekly Raid I would like to be able to join directly without having to check the box(Prerequisites you have to really mean it by checking the checkbox before I allow you to Sign Up for the Weakly Raid).
  • The “Sign up as leader” text looks active all the time. Graying out the text when the option is not possible would make it more user friendly.
  • I personal like Black Castle, but it is a hash and long lasting dungeon to start out with. And the level gap of the dungeon is way to wide for new players to complete at level 29. I have had multiple friends stop playing because of a bad first impression of a dungeon. My point being that the dungone should maybe be made more available. Easy suggestion fixes(if code is not like spagetti): 1. Reduce he trash by half. 2. Change the function of the fire hallway(oneshot land) so one only need 1 player on each switch to permenant disable the fire(like necropolis). It will make wiping and running back on death a much better experience aswell. 3. Do NOT touch the boss fights, as that is what makes the dungeon engaging and interesting.
  • Suggestion(long shot): It would be great to add a carrot to the low level dungeons, making them more interesting for the older player base aswell(even at level 80). So what does people want: Greater Power Items, Power Potions, Rare Social Items(Vanity, Pets, Mounts), and so on. But it should not be more beneficial to farm the short instances on repeate. My suggestions is that each low level dungeons could have a chance on something unique for that dungeon in the end chest. For example a Pet of one of the bosses or the Old Open World Epics. My personal favorite would be to add some unique vanity weapons that is normally only obtainable by quest reward. Or maybe port some weapons skins from Conan Exiles?
  • Also; One shoud be able to join a higher level dungeon as “Enter As Privat Group” before reaching the requirement. So one for example can bring a level 35 char in Sanctum of the Burning Souls to fill the group.
  • Also; - The following “Premium Teleports” can be considered removed with the new Group Finder: Black Castle, Cradle of Decay and Sanctum of Burning Souls. As porting to the instances is kind of pointless when the door only bring up the Group Finder window.
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I might be in minority, but I must admit that I hate when group finders teleport a player into instances. It shrinks the world drastically and takes away the most vital element of rpg genre (imo) - journey. I know that people might be sick of going the same pathways all the time, but it is not like AoC doesn’t already have teleport options and is not instanced. In WoW, my biggest gripe with group finder was that it always teleport players straight into dungeon. People lose interest and orientation and it makes some realms/lands even more desolate. In mmo (as small as AoC) it is necessary to make sure that people see each other from time to time in the world. No interaction is needed, but sight of 6 lads and lasses passing by you as you lvl/quest or wait for your own group, makes it somehow more enjoyable. I really hope teleport feature is not going to be implemented.

I think that group finder should just help you find a group of people that want to do chosen content with you, and leave you be.

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