There is a major issue for solo players, either those who prefer to play alone or those who just cannot seem to find dependable friends. The higher worlds are really difficult to accomplish alone, and while I do enjoy working with other finding reliable help for more than a few quests is not as easy as you seem to think it is. People who are your friend one day often refuse to answer or acknowledge your existence the next day. So unless you have real-world friends that also play it can be a hassle. Other times people delete the wizard you were friends with. Teams are nice but not dependable, I personally have had people join in a team only to leave as soon as it starts or just be AFK, which basically means you solo it anyway. There really should be a third option, as I have also sat waiting on someone to join a team for hours with no luck. Some things, side quests especially, teams are very hard to find because they don't drop items people want to farm. My suggestion would be a solo-runner option, an increase of 10% to damage, health and critical chance and no teleporting and no henchmen into the dungeon if you choose the solo-runner option , this would prevent people from abusing it by having friends teleport in. This would allow the solo player a better chance to finish many of the quests where they have to face multiple enemies. Especially as many enemies have cheats and interrupts, I have tried solos where I cannot even get in a single hit before I'm killed, because I wind up facing 3 enemies with 5 pips each to start and they hit first, I have no chance against those odds. I just feel that where teamwork is encouraged, which is good, there should also be an option for self reliance.
There is a major issue for solo players, either those who prefer to play alone or those who just cannot seem to find dependable friends. The higher worlds are really difficult to accomplish alone, and while I do enjoy working with other finding reliable help for more than a few quests is not as easy as you seem to think it is. People who are your friend one day often refuse to answer or acknowledge your existence the next day. So unless you have real-world friends that also play it can be a hassle. Other times people delete the wizard you were friends with. Teams are nice but not dependable, I personally have had people join in a team only to leave as soon as it starts or just be AFK, which basically means you solo it anyway. There really should be a third option, as I have also sat waiting on someone to join a team for hours with no luck. Some things, side quests especially, teams are very hard to find because they don't drop items people want to farm. My suggestion would be a solo-runner option, an increase of 10% to damage, health and critical chance and no teleporting and no henchmen into the dungeon if you choose the solo-runner option , this would prevent people from abusing it by having friends teleport in. This would allow the solo player a better chance to finish many of the quests where they have to face multiple enemies. Especially as many enemies have cheats and interrupts, I have tried solos where I cannot even get in a single hit before I'm killed, because I wind up facing 3 enemies with 5 pips each to start and they hit first, I have no chance against those odds. I just feel that where teamwork is encouraged, which is good, there should also be an option for self reliance.
You've brought up 2 very different types of solo players.
Personally (this may be an unpopular opinion) I think that players who 'prefer to play alone' already have options of stat boost via elixirs and they can buy henchmen. Yes it costs crowns but if they prefer to play a game designed for a team on their own then weighing up the additional costs should be expected. Likewise, many players who like to play alone pay for additional accounts to achieve this.
Adding additional boosts or preventing them from having a friend port could actually reduce their enjoyment. The sense of achievement may come from knowing they just completed a dungeon designed for 4 on their own through good strategy and determination. I've soloed characters and loved that challenge of having to cover every element of the battle on my own. Having to restart a long instance due to needing a reshuffle or last minute heal from a friend would also be frustrating...or simply having to remain solo when a friend wants to pop by to say hello and join you.
The second solo player type is different though - the solo player who would like a team but can't find people. The team-up function and kiosk are amazing. However, it is limited to specific dungeons rather than a specific quest line. I wonder if there could be a Questing Kiosk type addition, where players can add the quests they'd like to do most and it could help connect people on/near the same point in the game? I think this kind of thing would be pretty cool, especially for the side quest you mentioned but also for anyone questing through a world etc. Maybe it could give the players with the same quest an option to connect and chat (without changing chat restrictions of course) so they could arrange when to combine efforts.
I love the team up function and kiosk and think an expansion on this theme would likely be welcomed by players trying to find more permanent or longer term teams.
What do you think? Maybe we could come up with some ideas to help solve this?
There is a major issue for solo players, either those who prefer to play alone or those who just cannot seem to find dependable friends. The higher worlds are really difficult to accomplish alone, and while I do enjoy working with other finding reliable help for more than a few quests is not as easy as you seem to think it is. People who are your friend one day often refuse to answer or acknowledge your existence the next day. So unless you have real-world friends that also play it can be a hassle. Other times people delete the wizard you were friends with. Teams are nice but not dependable, I personally have had people join in a team only to leave as soon as it starts or just be AFK, which basically means you solo it anyway. There really should be a third option, as I have also sat waiting on someone to join a team for hours with no luck. Some things, side quests especially, teams are very hard to find because they don't drop items people want to farm. My suggestion would be a solo-runner option, an increase of 10% to damage, health and critical chance and no teleporting and no henchmen into the dungeon if you choose the solo-runner option , this would prevent people from abusing it by having friends teleport in. This would allow the solo player a better chance to finish many of the quests where they have to face multiple enemies. Especially as many enemies have cheats and interrupts, I have tried solos where I cannot even get in a single hit before I'm killed, because I wind up facing 3 enemies with 5 pips each to start and they hit first, I have no chance against those odds. I just feel that where teamwork is encouraged, which is good, there should also be an option for self reliance.
I completely agree, I also have no friends who play wizard101 and I get this same problem, I would really like to see something like this implicated in the game
You've brought up 2 very different types of solo players.
Personally (this may be an unpopular opinion) I think that players who 'prefer to play alone' already have options of stat boost via elixirs and they can buy henchmen. Yes it costs crowns but if they prefer to play a game designed for a team on their own then weighing up the additional costs should be expected. Likewise, many players who like to play alone pay for additional accounts to achieve this.
Adding additional boosts or preventing them from having a friend port could actually reduce their enjoyment. The sense of achievement may come from knowing they just completed a dungeon designed for 4 on their own through good strategy and determination. I've soloed characters and loved that challenge of having to cover every element of the battle on my own. Having to restart a long instance due to needing a reshuffle or last minute heal from a friend would also be frustrating...or simply having to remain solo when a friend wants to pop by to say hello and join you.
The second solo player type is different though - the solo player who would like a team but can't find people. The team-up function and kiosk are amazing. However, it is limited to specific dungeons rather than a specific quest line. I wonder if there could be a Questing Kiosk type addition, where players can add the quests they'd like to do most and it could help connect people on/near the same point in the game? I think this kind of thing would be pretty cool, especially for the side quest you mentioned but also for anyone questing through a world etc. Maybe it could give the players with the same quest an option to connect and chat (without changing chat restrictions of course) so they could arrange when to combine efforts.
I love the team up function and kiosk and think an expansion on this theme would likely be welcomed by players trying to find more permanent or longer term teams.
What do you think? Maybe we could come up with some ideas to help solve this?
Why do I run solo?
Because I can take the time to stop and pick up reagents or chests. I may have to stop suddenly and spin for several minutes (I care for a near invalid).
I have a questing partner who has helped me get my Life Wizard through the tougher areas up through finishing Empyrea, but I have not seen her online much recently.
I still have three quests in Empyrea that I cannot find help to finish. The Sphinx, The Beast Fight Club, and the defeat and collect from those blankety-blank deer creatures (those are a PAIN for a life wizard).
I'll hit team -up and wait,... and wait,... and wait and then give up.
I cannot find anyone around when I on and there is NO team up option for mob defeat and collects.
Having some sort of "guild" or in game messaging where I can contact folks NOT on my friends list to get help in these areas would be a big assist.
No this is supposed to be an F2P game (so there should be a F2P option), and it's not necessarily that I prefer to play alone, it's that I have figured out that I can't rely on other people so rarely depend on that option. The solo-runner option I suggested would of course be an option not a requirement but as an option would have to have limitations (i.e. the no teleport and no henchman rule) to prevent players from abusing the option. Some people are limited to the amount of crowns they can spend each month and while there are ways to get free crowns, getting enough to buy henchmen every boss fight and buy that nifty new item you've been eyeing for the last week can be an issue. Not everyone has free access to a hundred extra dollars a month to be able to do both. Also you have to take into account the fail rate of team-ups, I tried with my lower character to team for Water Works for the gear out of 5 or 6 attempts over two days, I got as far as the third door before everyone left. It always starts with "no hat" and that person leaves and no one thinks it can be completed with less than 4 so after the first leaves someone says let's start over and that's the end of the run. Really annoying and to be able to click on a solo run, and still have to fight through it (with a small advantage) would be far less annoying than starting over every time. Especially when the drops are not guaranteed and you may have to do it several times to get what you need (which would make buying henchmen to help out an unattainable solution to most players) . After the last time I spent all my gold to buy the ingredients and make the Wintertusk gear. An alternate solution would have been nice to have available.
The suggestion you had for the kiosk would be nice, but would still require people to accept that quest. There should really be a kiosk on each world that deals with that world alone since WC is the base of operations for most farmers, but people looking to do those because they need them are more likely to be using the start area of that world as a base. Who wants to go back to WC every time they have a dungeon to get through, also the bazaar should be available on all worlds. But the amount of crowns it would take to play a solo the way you suggest would be unattainable to lots of players, if you have that kind of cash to blow through for every dungeon, more power to you, but most don't. and since this is supposed to be game designed for kids (ergo- kid friendly chat) Most parents aren't going to give Jr. unlimited access to their credit card to make all the henchmen and elixir purchases that would require. So an alternate option should be available.
Because I can take the time to stop and pick up reagents or chests. I may have to stop suddenly and spin for several minutes (I care for a near invalid).
I have a questing partner who has helped me get my Life Wizard through the tougher areas up through finishing Empyrea, but I have not seen her online much recently.
I still have three quests in Empyrea that I cannot find help to finish. The Sphinx, The Beast Fight Club, and the defeat and collect from those blankety-blank deer creatures (those are a PAIN for a life wizard).
I'll hit team -up and wait,... and wait,... and wait and then give up.
I cannot find anyone around when I on and there is NO team up option for mob defeat and collects.
Having some sort of "guild" or in game messaging where I can contact folks NOT on my friends list to get help in these areas would be a big assist.
Steven Ghoststalker 130
Then you'd be the kind of solo player who would benefit from the Questing Kiosk I suggested.
When I said they could 'add the quests they'd like to do most' I was imagining adding MULTIPLE quests...just not an automatic add-all quests. Many players have a bunch of sides they're ignoring. Adding a bunch of quests you'd like will allow multiple opportunities to connect with others, not just one like on team up. As I said, it also wouldn't cause you to be teleported out to it - it opens an option to connect and chat with the other player/s.
If you want to do sides in a specific world you can add the ones you have without adding the Penny Dreadful quest you accidentally clicked and can't be bothered to do right now...or the zeke quests that would require a lot of running about and no team work required.
PS. The OP was suggesting increasing the stats of a solo player, which I think would be massively frustrating to those who want to solo the game as a challenge. I'd be irritated if my solo fire was sailing through because of artificially elevated stats!
I'd like to thank you all for taking the time to read my suggestion, and I really hope that King's Isle Staff can see the real need for an option like the one I suggested. I also do not work so that I am available to run errands and attend various DR appointments for my disabled wife and aging mother, so there isn't really a lot of extra cash lying around. What little I have to spend on frivolity every month has to carefully stretched and managed.
Then you'd be the kind of solo player who would benefit from the Questing Kiosk I suggested.
When I said they could 'add the quests they'd like to do most' I was imagining adding MULTIPLE quests...just not an automatic add-all quests. Many players have a bunch of sides they're ignoring. Adding a bunch of quests you'd like will allow multiple opportunities to connect with others, not just one like on team up. As I said, it also wouldn't cause you to be teleported out to it - it opens an option to connect and chat with the other player/s.
If you want to do sides in a specific world you can add the ones you have without adding the Penny Dreadful quest you accidentally clicked and can't be bothered to do right now...or the zeke quests that would require a lot of running about and no team work required.
PS. The OP was suggesting increasing the stats of a solo player, which I think would be massively frustrating to those who want to solo the game as a challenge. I'd be irritated if my solo fire was sailing through because of artificially elevated stats!
Yeah, boosting the stats for a solo player would be more frustrating.
I like knowing that I can X amount of damage or X amount of healing whether soloing or helping.
So yes, I agree that a Kiosk would be nice, but we already have one of those and while I get immediate help on the BIG bosses, I'll get ZERO help for things like Beast Fight Club in Empyrea. So rather than another Kiosk, how about...?
I think it would be nice if one of the house in the commons turned out to be a Guild. A place where Wizards can go and put their feet up and wait for someone to walk in and ask for help on a Mob Quest or help on a minor Boss or side quest that doesn't get an immediate response from the Team Up Kiosk.
I would also like to see in game messaging where we can leave messages for our in-game friends who are not on line.
One other thing that might be of help, a bulletin board in the school tower where messages to all wizards could be left. (i.e. I will be on line tomorrow at 5pm CDT and am looking for help with X. Meet in the Commons of Realm and we'll go)
I'd like to thank you all for taking the time to read my suggestion, and I really hope that King's Isle Staff can see the real need for an option like the one I suggested. I also do not work so that I am available to run errands and attend various DR appointments for my disabled wife and aging mother, so there isn't really a lot of extra cash lying around. What little I have to spend on frivolity every month has to carefully stretched and managed.
What a predicament you're in! Well, I hope you'll enjoy the game, even if you don't have much time for it.
It would not be artificially raised stats and the whole idea was with a key word "option" if you want to run you fire for days on end through one boss fight where you have four opponents and can't get any help and do so without any kind of a boost or helper that is you prerogative But if you find yourself buying a henchman or an elixir to boost your stat then you have just proven yourself to be a hypocrite because you just "artificially raised your stats and when the bough item wears off your stats are gone so what would really be the harm of adding an option that would allow the stat increase for the length of a single dungeon Even if the solo player option cost you 10000 gold to be able to use it or even a few crowns (50 or less) To have it available if you needed it would be nice
It would not be artificially raised stats and the whole idea was with a key word "option" if you want to run you fire for days on end through one boss fight where you have four opponents and can't get any help and do so without any kind of a boost or helper that is you prerogative But if you find yourself buying a henchman or an elixir to boost your stat then you have just proven yourself to be a hypocrite because you just "artificially raised your stats and when the bough item wears off your stats are gone so what would really be the harm of adding an option that would allow the stat increase for the length of a single dungeon Even if the solo player option cost you 10000 gold to be able to use it or even a few crowns (50 or less) To have it available if you needed it would be nice
I'd prefer you didn't call me a hypocrite for letting you know that players (solo or not) already have the option of boosting all of the stats you said without losing the ability to also buy henchmen and have friends port.
When I said about my solo-play I was saying I like the challenge of doing it solo WITHOUT stat boosts from elixirs.
Sorry I misunderstood your use of the word 'option', I thought you were suggesting an option to KI for solving the solo issue, rather than an optional setting for the solo player...though that already exists through elixirs and you've added that it should carry a crown price above, which is essentially another elixir with multiple things boosted in one, which also exists. IDK why a company would choose to give a 3rd option of a discounted hyper elixir that prevents allowing a friend to join if they come online or prevents further purchases of henchmen etc.
I still don't understand how buying stats for the length of a dungeon etc 'would not be artificially raised stats' but I'm still more irritated at being told 'you've just proven yourself to be a hypocrite' when I haven't been hypocritical at all and my intention was to open up your ideas to further thought and discussion.
I'd prefer you didn't call me a hypocrite for letting you know that players (solo or not) already have the option of boosting all of the stats you said without losing the ability to also buy henchmen and have friends port.
When I said about my solo-play I was saying I like the challenge of doing it solo WITHOUT stat boosts from elixirs.
Sorry I misunderstood your use of the word 'option', I thought you were suggesting an option to KI for solving the solo issue, rather than an optional setting for the solo player...though that already exists through elixirs and you've added that it should carry a crown price above, which is essentially another elixir with multiple things boosted in one, which also exists. IDK why a company would choose to give a 3rd option of a discounted hyper elixir that prevents allowing a friend to join if they come online or prevents further purchases of henchmen etc.
I still don't understand how buying stats for the length of a dungeon etc 'would not be artificially raised stats' but I'm still more irritated at being told 'you've just proven yourself to be a hypocrite' when I haven't been hypocritical at all and my intention was to open up your ideas to further thought and discussion.
It would be artificially raised stats (as are potions and elixirs) and the restrictions are merely to keep people from abusing the "free" option and it would be more along the lines of single battle bosses where the odds are never in your favor. I don't use elixirs I do buy a henchman if I need to but I would not readily buy an elixir for exactly the reason you said I would definitely not want to buy a 3 hour elixir for one boss and then sail through the rest of the world but I might find it necessary when fighting a fire boss with three storm henchmen that have a habit of not only hitting first but all hitting with critical storm lord their first turn with a boss on the end that then takes the 3 pips I was given to start the fight and hits me with a certain amount of damage per pip to boot. A little extra resistance and damage against those odds would be nice. And there are players who are completely F2P that have either bought each world or only pay for membership and nothing else just like there are players who pay for membership and go extreme on the crown spending. This would simply be the "free" option to those in need.
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