[UI] Group/Outfit Request Window

It'd be nice to have a tool to help find groups.

This takes away having to sift through/watch chat, and would present a list of players actively looking only to join a group. Also instead of having to physically locate a player randomly, click on them, and invite them, this would be a remote option to draw players together who specifically would like to be in group.

If you don't see a group on the list already that interests you, you can add your own request. The system would automatically pull and display your company and level, you would just answer a couple of questions and your name would go on the Group Request List.

Answer a couple of questions -

1. Only same company?
2. Short message of what you want to do

	Player Name	Company	Level	Activity	Group Rating
1.	Zed	MMO	15	need some BK's	16 / 1 / 3
2.	AstroMag	MMO	6	mordons	1 / 0 / 0
3.	GravityDrop	EIC	20	raid VRU cubes	133 / 16 / 12
4.	Souper	VRU	12	shoot NPCs	39 / 0 / 2
5.	Grinder	EIC	17	Hades or LoW	82 / 2 / 3

For you to join a group, you would just click on the player you want, and it would ask if you like to send a request - say yes, and that player will get a pop-up with your info on it (and maybe a short message from you), and they can either accept or decline.

Whenever you log off, you get dropped from the list. If you change your mind, just go in and cancel your group request. Once a group is full, you will drop from the list.

I added the "Group Rating" as an afterthought as I thought it might help to grade players on how nicely they play with others to weed out "stinkers." After being in a group, you'd be asked to rate whether the other players were: good / bad / okay. You can only rate each player once - that way, people can't buddy up 40 times and get 40 "good" votes. You can change your vote down the road if you want.

I'm a solo player myself, not in a clan, and don't join groups very often, but sometimes I do. If there was something like this available, I might jump into groups more often.

 

Leave out level and ratings and I am in for this. The activity is the best thing on there as I hate people sending me group request when they want to go 2 maps over. They could have asked me in open chat or whisper if I was interested in it first. Also, a lot of people send out group invites and never tell you why. This would solve that problem.

 

The same company is an issue as there are quests in enemy territories that it is nice having LOCAL help completing, also Hades Gate does not discriminate on company. The level can stay as it helps the people seeing the request can understand the need for assistance (example level 6 and mordons) but above level 16 would not be needed as ALL maps are open above that. The list would be nice since people ask for help and are in company chat while most people are in Global anymore. The alert would be nice as I keep trying to get into a group and find they are already in a group and short of trying to whisper to ask to be added to the group to find out they can not invite as they are not the group leader, or are actively killing NPC's.

The rating system could be skewed by an unhappy player or by people not wanting to rate a person or is a new player so kill the rating. I can agree for NORMAL groups it be divided by company, but make it an option that is selected when asking for the group (MMO, EIC, VRU, or any combination of the 3) reasons are;

• doing Ubers is all companies,
• enemy NPC kills is 2 companies,
• material collecting in enemy maps is 2 companies,
• killing Pirates is all companies,
• PvP killing Enemies can be 2 companies killing the third
• allows players to group up talk in group chat and discuss what they want to do (before jumping into enemy maps if such is planned)

I, also, seem to get the people wanting to group up to kill UBK's and they are not strong enough to take the hits when you have to pull out of range to repair from the damage you have taken, being the strongest in the group. Guess I need to learn to TANK one side of my ship when I want to UBK and maybe I could solo them, but know a friend who died 4 times before he could kill one solo, but he did succeed in getting the one kill (using repair in place) and said he would never try that again.

Some players like to run the counter on the "Play in Group" achievement. I have often found a person wanting to do Ubers (they are not strong enough so need help) and once they have theirs done leave the group leaving you high and dry for what you needed.

 

I think I understand. I was actually thinking of the default being "all companies" anyway. Maybe it doesn't need to be a question at all. Agree about having the local help on completing some quests.

I do kind of like seeing the level as it give an indication of what the player is capable of, potentially. Or some way of gauging their overall competence. If you want to help a noob that's cool, but maybe you want to join a more even-powered group where you're not pulling all the weight. Basically soloing UBK's or what have you when that's not what you had in mind, is not cool.

The more I think about it, I'm not totally keen on the rating either, partly for the reason you mention. Maybe it's an unnecessary complication. Most of the groups I've been in (again, I don't do it often) have been pretty good, and you can always leave the group if you don't like it.

Might be nice to add the ship the person's flying to the list, also. Swap the rating out and add that.

One slight downside I just thought of, is that it may be an advertisement to all players that there's a juicy group of noobs trying to do Mordons in lowers, lol. But still I think the benefits of players being able to link up across maps outweighs that.

 

This is where you select what company to send the message to that way it is not advertising to all and then the decision of what map is going to be used is after the group is set up. Thus the notices are not being used to allow exploitation mongers to hunt in maps where a group of players are trying to do quests, unless they just stumble on them.

 

Yeah, good point. It would be open to cross-company spies I suppose, but I don't think that would overshadow the benefit of it.

 

Cross company spies are not going to be making requests for groups, and most of them now, are in MCC's so they go into the contacts list and whisper to them that way.

This system would help those who are sitting in chat constantly asking for a group to do whatever they are planning on doing with their time in the game today. And prevent players from being called spammers by the Chat System asking the same thing over and over. This system would also allow players to post what they want to do and all players can see when they log in (if so desired) what people want to do instead of having just missed the call for assistance BK'ing (or whatever), most requests will be for groups inside your company but like has been pointed out there are times when a request would go out Globally (Hades Gate is best example).

Another change related to but not in this, would be, instead of being told "player is already in a group" we were notified the group is "full" or a message is sent to the Group Leader (entire group if open invites) that a player wants to join their group. This, basically, informs the group that someone else is interested in the activities they are doing (e.g. 2 people killing Uber Sibelons, you need some for quest, click on them and they are in group) try to whisper to them, as they are not in chat, but have to run as you are being attacked by NPC's, this would have a pop up wondow saying "Joe Blow wants to join your group" giving them a chance to accept or decline the request. This could be toggled on and off just like invites for group now, the pop up would be like you invited the player except is now in the group window instead of the requested players window.

 

Absolutely! This is very much needed as well. It's so frustrating when you DO see someone obviously on a similar quest, but you're locked out because they're in a group and you can't easily let them know you want to join. I've tried "ship sign language" by helping them out for a bit hoping they'll take the hint, but you don't even know if they're the group leader or have the power to invite. It's not the best system in that regard.

 

smart idea, only leave out the rating, and level as well because with the new quests, level means nothing anymore

 

i like that idea a group finder by selecting certain tasks u wish to do. meet more players n less waiting think they should definatley look into that. nice idea veritas