Warframe Weirdness
It's a bit odd to run through such a range of thoughts and feelings toward a game in the space of a couple days...
Friday, I got some time in running Warframe with Samantha and the guild she's in. This was a generally positive experience, though it did emphasize just how bad I am at small-talking during a game (as if that was in doubt). The question of why I hadn't joined the guild came up, which got me thinking some. I really did expect a little more push when that was first mentioned. There are a lot of in-game advantages to joining a bigger, more active, guild. The only thing I give up is some feeling of accomplishment/self-reliance.
I had considered that previously, and I think the conclusion I reached was I would be willing to take the leap as long as I felt there was some acknowledgement/validation of the work I had done. But the discussion had been dropped, which was fine too. This time, there was a bit more pressure, and a new angle presented itself as I considered. I could make a second account, transfer the guild over to it, and keep it 'on ice' in case I should ever want to fall back on it. I even went so far as to do a little research on multiple accounts, and came to the conclusion that's probably safe as long as I don't start using the accounts to swap around platinum or time-sensitive stuff for personal benefit - that seems a clear no-no, though the EULA/TOS only actually addresses multiple accounts as something judged on a case-by-case basis.
So I went into Saturday with this plan. I made another account, ran through the first handful of missions to be able to join a clan. Then connection errors happened. The game was apparently hit by a DDOS over the weekend, and had some periods of extended downtime, which impacted my momentum.
Later Saturday, I got into playing with the group again and... things felt less rosy. It wasn't BAD, but I started noticing behavior that doesn't particularly appeal to me. One issue was getting pulled into missions without any real warning or discussion. To be fair, Samantha was blindsided by this more than I was (in this instance), but it demonstrated the usual experience I have when grouping up with these folks. I saw that the selected mission was a Sedna map with level 60 enemies and swapped over to more leveled gear, Samantha did not. So I was at least reasonably prepared, but I don't recall being asked what missions to start previously - I sort of accept that grouping up here means doing whatever others are doing. Usually, that's fine, but if there's something specific I wanted to work on, then I end up putting time into the game without making the progress I want, and that doesn't feel particularly good.
The other main irritating point is sort of my main complaint about the game's community in general: there's a big disconnect between players with more or less experience. There's no clear-cut line that defines a newbie versus a veteran, yet there's a gulf in attitude and perspective that happens anyway. I saw this in watching video guides/reviews for the game, where someone may sing the praises of a weapon with 4+ forma installed - a new player won't even know what a forma is/does, a player with 200+ hours into the game may still not even be able to get/use that weapon due to a mastery requirement. One player might talk about how neat/fun/awesome a new weapon seems while a "veteran" casually comments that it sucks. Even if they specify that the weapon "isn't very effective against high-level targets," that still feels dismissive and elitist. Small-scale, this exists the the clan. Large-scale, I've seen it in the wider community. It almost never seems malicious (unlike some game communities), but it's still very off-putting.
So, by the end of Saturday, I was asking myself if I really want that sort of group play to be my norm in the game, my clan-swapping plans on hold. I haven't yet figured out an answer to the question.
Friday, I got some time in running Warframe with Samantha and the guild she's in. This was a generally positive experience, though it did emphasize just how bad I am at small-talking during a game (as if that was in doubt). The question of why I hadn't joined the guild came up, which got me thinking some. I really did expect a little more push when that was first mentioned. There are a lot of in-game advantages to joining a bigger, more active, guild. The only thing I give up is some feeling of accomplishment/self-reliance.
I had considered that previously, and I think the conclusion I reached was I would be willing to take the leap as long as I felt there was some acknowledgement/validation of the work I had done. But the discussion had been dropped, which was fine too. This time, there was a bit more pressure, and a new angle presented itself as I considered. I could make a second account, transfer the guild over to it, and keep it 'on ice' in case I should ever want to fall back on it. I even went so far as to do a little research on multiple accounts, and came to the conclusion that's probably safe as long as I don't start using the accounts to swap around platinum or time-sensitive stuff for personal benefit - that seems a clear no-no, though the EULA/TOS only actually addresses multiple accounts as something judged on a case-by-case basis.
So I went into Saturday with this plan. I made another account, ran through the first handful of missions to be able to join a clan. Then connection errors happened. The game was apparently hit by a DDOS over the weekend, and had some periods of extended downtime, which impacted my momentum.
Later Saturday, I got into playing with the group again and... things felt less rosy. It wasn't BAD, but I started noticing behavior that doesn't particularly appeal to me. One issue was getting pulled into missions without any real warning or discussion. To be fair, Samantha was blindsided by this more than I was (in this instance), but it demonstrated the usual experience I have when grouping up with these folks. I saw that the selected mission was a Sedna map with level 60 enemies and swapped over to more leveled gear, Samantha did not. So I was at least reasonably prepared, but I don't recall being asked what missions to start previously - I sort of accept that grouping up here means doing whatever others are doing. Usually, that's fine, but if there's something specific I wanted to work on, then I end up putting time into the game without making the progress I want, and that doesn't feel particularly good.
The other main irritating point is sort of my main complaint about the game's community in general: there's a big disconnect between players with more or less experience. There's no clear-cut line that defines a newbie versus a veteran, yet there's a gulf in attitude and perspective that happens anyway. I saw this in watching video guides/reviews for the game, where someone may sing the praises of a weapon with 4+ forma installed - a new player won't even know what a forma is/does, a player with 200+ hours into the game may still not even be able to get/use that weapon due to a mastery requirement. One player might talk about how neat/fun/awesome a new weapon seems while a "veteran" casually comments that it sucks. Even if they specify that the weapon "isn't very effective against high-level targets," that still feels dismissive and elitist. Small-scale, this exists the the clan. Large-scale, I've seen it in the wider community. It almost never seems malicious (unlike some game communities), but it's still very off-putting.
So, by the end of Saturday, I was asking myself if I really want that sort of group play to be my norm in the game, my clan-swapping plans on hold. I haven't yet figured out an answer to the question.
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