Soloing a few thoughts

[Sharkith]

I have only been out three nights trying to experience this whole playstyle and already I can see that it is very very difficult and frustrating especially in the current situation. I have an rr 4 L4 Nightshade who I have just respecced and templated and he is called Sharkith.

First of all I want to avoid another add whine discussion because I believe that is currently being used inadvertently to paint pictures of players as this and that. I think we have said it elsewhere that this is the first step to stereotyping and reducing other players to a label. I object to those tendencies and I am trying to avoid discussions that can do that.

This doesn't mean we can't have a sense of humour ofc.

Anyway to the point. How am I finding 'soloing'?

First of all I have to say I whilst I have been out in the forntier and had 50 odd encounters I might have had 15 solo encounters. I have lost most especially to high rr players and some to some really great players around the same level as myself. The situation does not promote solo encounters. I feel strongly that whilst I am out there I am not always solo, soloing is a kind of misnomer.

Some situations I am uneasy about.

Ambiguous situations (some make me feel uneasy)

Situation 1
In quite a few instances I have watched excellent fights without getting involved, but in three cases I have let the fight finish and then finished off the other tank/stealther. I kind of felt uneasy about that but to be honest I would not really worry if another stealther did that to me so I am not so sure. I worry about it because well I like to kind of do the right thing by others. In these cases I have pm'ed the peeps from my realm to ask if they thought I had done the right thing in all cases I got a positive response so that fine. I do worry about the Albs and Mids though.

Situation 2
In quite a few instances were I would say I have not been solo because of the circumstances I have attacked two red named people who have been on a solo person. I am not sure if people think in those cases that I should not have got involved. I tend to think its a good idea even if more often than not I pick the wrong target

Situation 3
A full group of Albs is chasing a full group of Mids into the villa in Hadrians. I see a scout merrily shooting away, he is beside several Alb casters. I PA the scout and get stuck in to him. The Alb casters gank me and I notice someone is yelling in a language I don't understand. I am concerned that the scout might have been in their group and that in this case I might have engaged with a group versus group encounter.

Situation 4
In a large encounter with loads of players quite enjoy stalking another player (its amazing how predictable some people become if you watch them long enough and wait) and taking them down. I do not consider this a solo encounter although it can be an effective way of getting a solo kill. I also do not mind doing this but I certainly do not consider this soloing. Its kind of a thing to do when you cannot find others looking a solo fight and so you walk around to the zergy bit and have a go at killing one out of the 30 odd.

So thats kind of my summary. You can see I am uneasy because I don't want to get on others way. I am kind of looking for some input on this so I can adapt my behaviour. Personally this has been the most difficult thing I have tried to do yet because the situations are all very ambiguous in the end I would say in each session I have been able to have a solo engagement around some 10% of fights. So if I was only looking for that I would be one very depressed player.

Thankfully I have enjoyed doing it especially those solo fights but I do think it would be a misnomer to call me a soloer over these last days? Or is soloing the seeking of solo fights in the same way as FG RvR is better explained as the seeking of FG fights?

Sharkith

 

[Saraden]

I can only talk on my own behalf, but i think most "soloers" agree:

I don't mind if you kill me after i have fought, i do that quite often myself too. As a rr3 (And you rr4) we need rp's Most important is not to add if someone is already fighting in my opinion.

In 2vs1 situation it's more than welcome to add, also if there's small grp, i can't see why it wouldn't be fair to attack them with even numbers (together with others stealths). Same goes for zerg fights, it may end up getting you on someone's black list though, and you may be run down by fg instead of left alone next time.And for the adding scout part, he was 99% just leeching, and anyways you couldn't have known.

 

[swifteagle]

You'll find soloing can be frustrating and especially if you have ethics which you stick by because your putting yourself at a disadvantage Vs alot of other players who dont think twice about killing anything they see no matter what the situation

As a stealther your in a better situation than visuals who tend to get rolled by every FG that spots them but you'll still find you'll be added on and rolled as soon as you destealth alot of the time.

I played my scout solo with ethics and didnt use FZ at all for the first few months I had it but that sort of thing soon gets beaten out of you believe me

My best advice would be play the way you want and dont worry too much about accidental adding and 99% of soloers out there find they arent solo even when they think they are as you can get help from other stealthers even when you dont know their about etc.

In all 4 of your situations you've put forward you are solo but not always against a solo player in my view every soloer out there doesnt always ONLY fight 1Vs1 a bit of variety is what makes it fun,doesnt make you less of a soloer or more of one just means you face a different fight more often and variety can save your sanity as a soloer

One last point soloing is becoming a dying form of the game so your chances of finding other soloers might be slim and where most seem to hang out doesnt always promote good clean fights as the risk of adds is high so dont expect a good clean solo fight every 10 minutes because it probably wont happen

 

[Gamah]

Soloing is 10x better on an NS than it is on a minstrel, it takes time to kill our targets and every secondd you're unstealthed is another second you'll probably get adds. Saying that I have been lucky of late and many people don't add on me because of my reputation for being a good clean honest fighter.

 

[Himse]

Saying that I have been lucky of late and many people don't add on me because of my reputation for being a good clean honest fighter.

haha roxbox mate =)

 

[Gamah]

haha roxbox mate =)

Its the truth homie!

 

[ebenezer]

You'll find soloing can be frustrating and especially if you have ethics which you stick by because your putting yourself at a disadvantage Vs alot of other players who dont think twice about killing anything they see no matter what the situation

As a stealther your in a better situation than visuals who tend to get rolled by every FG that spots them but you'll still find you'll be added on and rolled as soon as you destealth alot of the time.

I played my scout solo with ethics and didnt use FZ at all for the first few months I had it but that sort of thing soon gets beaten out of you believe me

My best advice would be play the way you want and dont worry too much about accidental adding and 99% of soloers out there find they arent solo even when they think they are as you can get help from other stealthers even when you dont know their about etc.

In all 4 of your situations you've put forward you are solo but not always against a solo player in my view every soloer out there doesnt always ONLY fight 1Vs1 a bit of variety is what makes it fun,doesnt make you less of a soloer or more of one just means you face a different fight more often and variety can save your sanity as a soloer

One last point soloing is becoming a dying form of the game so your chances of finding other soloers might be slim and where most seem to hang out doesnt always promote good clean fights as the risk of adds is high so dont expect a good clean solo fight every 10 minutes because it probably wont happen

First of all as a soloer you and any class you play shark you do what you feel is right( that kinda goes without saying though..i know)
But if you wanna escape tiresome whine and are a bit of afraid of those conflicts you should only engage 1 vs 1....only use ur abilities when others are( or you might ge a pm saying....hmm..why this and that when i only used that, cowardly!)..Preferably stand in a circle and dont move around two much
Ok seriously though, was a bit sarcastic there but most of it is semi true for the soloing nowadays.
Soloing have become worse since i started long ago. Not only because of all the zerging etc, also because of the soloers themself. A new breed of soloers have been born that i call dueliests. They roam the same area a lot and almost only the zergy areas, and get very upset some of them when they get interupted. So not many soloers like in the old days that roamed around in all the frontiers. When you did and you had a good day it was nothing more exciting then meeting people in different areas...totally alone(without the zerg around) and only you and him.
making a solo character have almost become fotm these days , preferable a melee stealther or a visible tankish character with s/s, i see them pop like mushrooms. Even so the soloing is worse then in past. Mainly cause they tend to stick to the same areas and duel instead of roam like before.
Anyhow about the "rules" you asked.

I would say you had a good feeling for all of the above. I would say people generaly dont whine if they had a fight and you kill them after. They should even expect you not to add so should be happy you let them finnish their fight at least.
I usually use my judgement when i see a soloer attacked my 2, if its censimilla or some other high rr and he is fighting two lower i might back off, but if its two higher rr against same or lower i usually join up.
And about how many solo fights you get.
Well...if i have a really bad day i might have 4 really good fights in like 4 hours if that sometimes.
If i have a good day i would say maybe 15 in that time.
So it all depends really. Its very frustrating at times, and it is getting worse...so not an easy start for a soloer to begin with. But if you hang in there and sometimes stay in the zergy areas were you after all can get a hand if you find urself with a higher rr, so you get some rps and can get higher and then go out to roam more.
Good luck shark You will need it.
over and out..

 

[rawr]

You have decided to enter the style of 1v1, as with any unwritten rules that come with competitive styles in DAoC, it is up to you and your judgement in that moment.
Solo warfare becomes more like a perspective rather than rules, once you are battle hardened with 1v1, you appreciate that the known 1v1 players (I am certain that the solo players with a high reputation could list many people known for 1v1), have earnt their respect by how they treat a situation. You can appreciate that they are looking for clean fights and you yourself are also; this is why it is important to build your reputation amongst your fellow players.

I feel people having a 1v1 do not get 'added' on, out of respect for both of the players; whether one of them is interested in 1v1 or not (enter whine about letting realm-mates die ).
In this same line of thought, if I find a player I respect, I will not usually kill them if they are on low health after a fight; rather, wait for them to rest and come back for a new 1v1 with myself if they wish.

Remember that the beauty of the game is that it is so situational and sporadic; the reason why I prefer hunting in the standard zones over the solo zones. You may do things such as attack someone accidentally, but if you are known for soloing then you will be forgiven.

I would suggest anyone that wishes to enjoy solo warfare hunt away from the zergs (if iRvR is in HW between Mid and Alb, hunt at Bledmeer for example), with like-minded individuals. Keep a mental note of the players you do not like, it is usually a good idea to avoid them (stealth zergs) or find them for revenge; a clean 1v1 with someone after they 'add' on you, and you severely beat them, can be very satisfying! Remember that although you are a 1v1 player, you are not denied to kill others whom are not; however, in the same line of thought, you should not complain if you get steamrolled if you are hunting in an area where it is bound to happen! If you want decent solo fights, seek the like-minded players out. It is when players who claim to be active within the 1v1 niche then ruin it for others (hypocrites) that you can complain about imo. The same goes for 8v8, it is important to be able to tell the difference, but always remember it is only a game.

Personally, I do not spec for vanish on my Infiltrator. If I were to, I would only use it to escape being steamrolled. I do not like to run away once I have engaged someone and I think the points could be spent elsewhere. I do not know if this falls under respect, I would say it is probably more pride on my part.

I have not played my 1v1 character (Infil) for a while now; so if I remember anything important, or if any important points to discuss are raised, I can always add them later.

 

[xxManiacxx]

Something simple as a /slap on the person who added on your 1on1 shows that you are after solo fights and helps u not getting ganked later on by those who died from adds.

As ppl say it takes time to build a solo reputation but your rep from before can help alot. For instance if u are an old gg player ppl will know how u acted then and if u didnt run around and ganked soloers etc it will only help you when u enter the frustration that is soloing.

 

[Elrandhir]

haha roxbox mate =)

heh, Roxbox, sound familiar..hm yeah an NS I tested a duel against in BG ;D

With my Ubah dubah Ranger Dragonic ;D

 

[Nosufer]

Add on everything, you will never look back

 

[Uben]

all kinds of soloing are open to interpretation (sp?) for instance...

If im watching a solo fight (and I make a policy not to add) and a second mib/hib adds on the fight (this might be legit as could be a duo) then I attack the 2nd person who added (if u follow me so far). Thing is.. im now classed as an adder by the duo who were fighting althought they outnumbered the original. Ive been soloing 99% of my infs rr4 so far (100 solo kills so far) and can list the amount of times ive grouped on 2 fingers hehe.

Ive had great solo fights, edge of your seat ones.. soloed some very high rr stealthers with my inf so far and enjoying every minute of it.. that being said.. crossing beno bridge once.. bumped into Team Zerg (7 of them).. rebuffed.. backout.. went to beno boat dropp off.. 4 man hib SZ there.. rince repeat.. docks = 3 man hib sz (all at same time lol) was really starting to effect me so had to log.

Not one to label ppl but so far it seams that hibs are the worst for adding (only imo) lost track of the amount of times I was winning a solo fight against the odds due to my low rr, only to have certain high rr NS's, Rangers deliberately sidestun me who were watching the fight allowing my kill to run away now thats the lamest kind of adding in my book.. either add straight away, or if u decided to watch DONT add at all as u have made the decision.

tbh soloing is all about the 2k solo kills title that im working towards, only then can someone really lay down the law imo as they have earnt the right to do so.

 

[xxManiacxx]

Adding in when someone is outnumbered is only fair.

 

[Shafu]

...So thats kind of my summary. You can see I am uneasy because I don't want to get on others way. I am kind of looking for some input on this so I can adapt my behaviour. Personally this has been the most difficult thing I have tried to do yet because the situations are all very ambiguous in the end I would say in each session I have been able to have a solo engagement around some 10% of fights. So if I was only looking for that I would be one very depressed player.

Thankfully I have enjoyed doing it especially those solo fights but I do think it would be a misnomer to call me a soloer over these last days? Or is soloing the seeking of solo fights in the same way as FG RvR is better explained as the seeking of FG fights?

You are right that it is damn near impossible to be the 100% honorable solo player that many players strive/claim to be. There is so much hypocrisy in this game, so I wouldn't worry too much about it. My advice is simply to treat other players as you want them to treat you. This goes for both enemies and realmmates.

Personally, I distinguish between soloers and duelists. To a duelist, a fair fight is everything. They can't fully enjoy a victory if it was too easy, and they REALLY hate being on the losing side in an unfair fight. They value a fair fight higher than the sense of belonging to a realm (ie. they will generally let a realmmate die out of respect for the enemy). Soloers (like me) are not too concerned with fair fights. I consider myself a soloer whether the odds are with me or against me, and I enjoy the diversity of all these fights. I hate it when players suddenly alter the "rules" like when two enemies decide to be friends in the middle of the battlefield, because it forces me to either play along with their rules, or be dishonorable. I also consider myself a mid above anything else and I find it really difficult to stand by idle while a realmmate loses a fight.

 

[Vodkafairy]

My advice is simply to treat other players as you want them to treat you. This goes for both enemies and realmmates.

indeed.

had a lot of nice fights yesterday, most of which i lost, but who cares? nothing more fun then putting up a great fight on a low rank character and having a nice challenge.

some mid group steamrolled me and people i was fighting, later i had a nice chance to get some payback so i did. but it wasn't fun, rps weren't worth it, and definitely won't make them leave me in the future either. i learned my lesson, not going to bother doing it again

the moment you add on everything you completely rape all forms of challenge in rvr, for both you and your realmmates who seek that challenge rather then free rps. but playstyles will always clash, never ever will there be an end to that. or this useless discussion ;/

 

[Zoia]

Thankfully I have enjoyed doing it especially those solo fights but I do think it would be a misnomer to call me a soloer over these last days? Or is soloing the seeking of solo fights in the same way as FG RvR is better explained as the seeking of FG fights?

Sharkith

You don't have to be only looking for 1on1 fights to call yourself a soloer. I like 1on1 fights, but the most fun is when you manage to kill 2 or 3 people and get away with it before the cavalry arrives.
Unfortunately it's no longer as "easy" to take on 2 or 3 lower RR people as it used to be for my skald, thanks to abilities such as grapple, BG, zephyr, DI, ML9 pet, etc, but you feel good when you do manage it.

Situation 1
That's fine. It may be a little annoying for the guy you kill, but as long as you let them finish the fight first, i don't think he/she really mind.

Situation 2
I'll do the same. If 2 albs/hibs are beating up a solo mid, i will help.
Hell, i'll even help an alb/hib if he's being beaten up by 2 hibs/albs.
If we kill the 2 enemies together, we may even have a /dance before going our seperate ways.

Situation 3
Most likely the scout was just an addi...erh..person defending his realm in war and not grouped with the others.
The yelling was probably just him yelling thanks to the group, for saving him from you.
If you see him again, give him another PA.

Situation 4
It may not be a solo, or 1on1, encounter, but it's most certainly soloing if you are alone.
Always great fun to kill 1 out of many and even better if you can get away with it.
I love to charge+vendo into small groups with my zerker if i know i can't get away. Killing their caster makes it worth it.

 

[illu]

Sounds like you are doing fine :>

It's all about having a nice template, some nice MLs and abilities, and then just waiting and picking the right targets.

You will become a better player because you have no one to rely on but yourself. You will get steamrolled continuously but you will adapt :>

See you out there

Oli - Illu

 

[Cylian]

You will get steamrolled continuously but you will adapt :>

or get frustrated and either start zerging or quit

 

[Gamah]

or get frustrated and either start zerging or quit

so you opted for zerging ?

 

[Void959]

I would suggest not overanalyzing situations too much as most of the time your first instinct will be correct. As long as you don't add on obvious 1v1s or 8v8s, and don't consistently gank soloers when grouped then I think most people of the non add-on-everything-cos-the-box-says-rpg flavour will respect you back. Also like VF says it's often not worth adding for revenge, I've found in the past that quite a few players who generally seemed lame started respecing my fights at least to the point of letting me finish them, once I had shown them some respect.

 

[Nuxtobatns]

It is quite simple tbh...
When u take the boat to go fight in an enemy land ... u can kill any1 comming from that land (and has just pressed a button to port there) by any means necessary. But u have to respect the enemies of the third realm u will find there.
Also this means that the ones that r fighting just outside their portal keep...should respect the fights soloers from any realm fight around there.

Simple as that...

PS: Ofc peeps like TeamZerg members, Jarvio and co, Aim and co plus such mid grps and so on should be insta killed from all enemy realms members around ... even if they 'appear' to be solo

 

[Mactavish]

Lots of good points here but you may find that it all comes down to the majority who will kill any red name they see.

Can be very frustrating being a solo type but when you find similar types willing to stand and take their turn if they fancy their chances against you it can be fun.

Personally I do not attack an enemy who does not want to fight me, nor do I kill an enemy who has just finished a fight but thats just me.

Whether my arms has a good rep or not I tend to play by my rules best I can which in my eyes are a fair way to play.

Play by your own instincts is what I would suggest, you may get it wrong on a few occasions like myself in the past but most of all it's just a game and have fun.

Regards Mactavish

 

[Sharkith]

thanks for the replies folks, I did write because some of the situations are a bit ambiguous and it is really nice having people explain how they respond to similar circumstances. The distinction between duelling/duelists and soloing/solers is very useful because I don't think duelling is really what I play for.

I prefer a situation that has a lot of variety and having people confirm that this is what it means kind of makes the whole idea much more interesting. Visible tanks must have such a tough time though. I see deathspam from people who prefer to fight solo all the time whilst I am mooching looking for someone to kill.

Last night I think I had 8 deaths and 7 deathblows. The deathblows were not all clean fights I would have said 4 of those were solo. I also contributed to another 7 kills all in zergy or group related situations that I have described.

Thanks though. One of the problems on here is that soloing as a discussion is so often reduced to the decision to add or not and that is not actually a good reflection of the situations I have found myself in. I absolutely lub fights with someone at the same realm rank and yeah I quite like it when I am outnumbered and trying to learn what to do in those situations.

It has all been quite funny especially that first night when I thought Malice was broken because you cannot use the 2nd ability in combat (ty Kils for the pointers! ).

Sharkith

 

[Gamah]

thanks for the replies folks, I did write because some of the situations are a bit ambiguous and it is really nice having people explain how they respond to similar circumstances. The distinction between duelling/duelists and soloing/solers is very useful because I don't think duelling is really what I play for.

I prefer a situation that has a lot of variety and having people confirm that this is what it means kind of makes the whole idea much more interesting. Visible tanks must have such a tough time though. I see deathspam from people who prefer to fight solo all the time whilst I am mooching looking for someone to kill.

Last night I think I had 8 deaths and 7 deathblows. The deathblows were not all clean fights I would have said 4 of those were solo. I also contributed to another 7 kills all in zergy or group related situations that I have described.

Thanks though. One of the problems on here is that soloing as a discussion is so often reduced to the decision to add or not and that is not actually a good reflection of the situations I have found myself in. I absolutely lub fights with someone at the same realm rank and yeah I quite like it when I am outnumbered and trying to learn what to do in those situations.

It has all been quite funny especially that first night when I thought Malice was broken because you cannot use the 2nd ability in combat (ty Kils for the pointers! ).

Sharkith

I am always up for a solo fight, jump me

 

[Sharkith]

I am always up for a solo fight, jump me

not likely I will be hiding from you for a good while me thinks.

 

[Cylian]

so you opted for zerging ?

I is never solo! Me and Myself are always with me!

 

[Gamah]

I is never solo! Me and Myself are always with me!

YOu still are add on sight for me as you well know

 

[Cylian]

YOu still are add on sight for me as you well know

nothing special about that. If it got a red name, it's going to add ...basic approach to everydays RvR

 

[Jorof]

My policy is simple - i wont attack anything that doesn't attack me first.. Unless i dont like you (which is rare, the list is small.) Or you /bow to me.
Been like that since rr5 ish and i've enjoyed every run i've done under it.

 

[auroria]

I love to charge+vendo into small groups with my zerker if i know i can't get away. Killing their caster makes it worth it.

so true, last night i charged dc doors and got fyric, always go for the ppl i know abit, or just dont like