Know your players

This is a work in progress thread about possible type of players you might encounter online, with tips on how to deal with them (if possible).

To be able to succeed with the goal of the R.I.G, players need to know how to react to others online, as such, been able to recognize the type of players you are facing is really important. Once you have identified a player, it become a lot more easier to interact with him or her and make both players' life on the server easier.

Others are welcome to share they tips, offer corrections, add missing "types" or simply tell their "encounters". The more we have information about how to deal with different types of player, the better we will be at incorporating these people into the community. Never forget that there is both good and bad and that people don't stand in one category only.

The problematic players

• Griefers: People who just want to anger others, because they know they can get away with it. It's a type of "fun" for them. Contrary to what people believe, ignoring them only work on the "weakest" griefers. You need to show that you are "tougher" than them. These people are usually cowards, that's why they walk in groups and hang around low level areas, especially in Open PvP. They also love to play on people impatience. Requires: patience and guts.
  
  
• "Newcomers": Commonly known as bad players. People too shy to ask questions and/or too "proud" to bother learning. I meet a lot of those and we all have been one at some point. They should be nursed. They are like babies that are learning to walk. Lots of works, but after a while they can walk by themselves. Usually have troubles with Griefers and Elitists and sometimes you might feel like they are just there to watch others play the game at their place. Can be frustrating. Requires: Patience and motherly types.
  
  
• Leech: Players that join groups/guilds so they can "move on"...without saying a word about it. Usually make you feel like you wasted your time with them. Mostly affect guilds. They usually upgrade into Elitist at some point. Unfortunately, they are usually spotted too late.
  
  
• The Spammers: Depending of what they are doing, they could be griefers. Spammer just love to spam the chat channel with stupidity, or gold selling announcement and stuff like that. Solution: /Ignore playername.
  
  
• The "MMO = group": This group appeared when soloing became "popular". They show up on pre-release forums claiming that the game should force grouping, because that's what MMO are about. I think they missed a few part in the meaning of MMO or what happen in those type of games. They don't care about the community, they just want to be able to group and complete content. They tend toward the "me, me, me". Some can be seen, over there, waiting to be invited into a group...
  
  
• The "Everybody else does it": Number 1 excuse for being a jerk online. Ignoring what they do is a most, at first. Unfortunately, curving them toward polite social interaction isn't easy.
  
  
• The "I'm so cool that what I do is OK.": Number 2 excuse for being a jerk online. People who just think that are so awesome that this give them the right to be jerks online. They tend to be Elitists.
  
  
• The "PvP or Die": Players that play MMOs for only one reason. Player vs Player content. If they see a viable target they will kill it...and move on.
  
  
• Elitists: They split into a few sub-groups mostly depending what they think is "elite". Some are borderline griefers, some devolve into griefers, some are really nice people overall. But they have one thing in commons, haughty attitude if they feel that you are beneath them.
  
  
  
  • The Competitor: They are all about winning. They tend to keep to their guild and some of them can be annoying when they don't, because they believe that only them "know" how the game should be played (or made). They also hate defeat and tend to lash out when they lose. I consider them as a new sub-group to MMORPGs and I'm still unsure of how to deal with them. Mostly hang around PvP matches. They tend to ignore people not on their friends list.
    
    
  • The Wannabe-Competitor: aka the "me, me, me". They are all about the prize, not about the game or the community. Sometimes I have the feeling they believe playing games is a job and the "loot" is their paycheck. Unlike the competitor, the wannabe don't have that much skill, but believe he does, because, you know, he got that cool piece of armour to show up for it. They prefer any content that offer the best loot with the less effort. The faster the better. They don't make good "friends" seeing as they are more interested into the next piece of armour they will get and not about having fun playing with others.
    
    
  • The Powergamer: The number crunchers, the bad ones. You will see them whining in the official web forums that the game is too easy before you see then in the game. They are all about having the best output out of their characters and expect everybody else to do the same: aka twinking. If you are not, you are a "bad players" and end up on their ignore list or they just laugh at you. They also have Competitor or Wannabe tendencies...
    
    
  • The "excuse me, I'm role-playing": The ones that gave role players a bad name. Usually keep to their small group of role-players and tend to ignore the rest of the server. They don't really care about the server community and interact only with a few people. They don't bother people, unless you are standing right in the middle of their "role-playing" stage. Their problem is that some of them think the game is made just for them and they get piss off when somebody else, who didn't know they were role-playing, interact with them.

The "I don't know" players

• The Joker: Might sometimes feel close to a greifers. Not to mistake with rude people without manners. The Joker are silly fellow who usually do silly things in the games. Like dancing naked in the middle of the most populous area. They tend to make nice party people...if you like the type of joke they do. Beware can evolve into The Crazy after a few years or by eating Sylrah's cookies. The Crazy isn't dangerous but could be contagious.
  
  
• The Loner: Aka the soloers, Some people just prefer to play alone, for various reasons. Time restriction, explorations, personal challenges, etc. They are not anti-social, but it doesn't mean they want to be with others 100% of the time. Loners can also come into a "light" variation, these players prefer groups, but won't say no to a little solo fun from time to time.
  
  
• The min/maxers: The number crunchers, the good ones. These people make those awesome wiki and details all those class skills and what they do. They usually seek challenges and that's why they try weird builds or enter higher level areas with lower level toons. That are also good people to get advice from.
  
  
• The role-player: People who seek immersion and adventures. They usually make good PUG members, simply because their goal isn't about the loot, but the progression. They are among the chattiest people online as well. The "light" variation is a bit less about their character life and a bit more about being in character.
  
  
• The "My life is...": People who think that MMOs are chatboxes. You know, the people who tell their entire work day on general chat channel.
  
  
• The Explorer: Players who love travelling, exploring all the small the areas of a map, seeking new adventures and fun things to do. They don't need a map...unless they need to come back to their starting point.
  
  
• The Completionist: Players that want to see it all, do it all, try it all. Love to explore every nook and cranny of a game. Usually travel with a checklist...
  
  
• The Crafter: Need something, seek a crafter. They come with a few different mentality, some love to helps people, some are just greedy. One thing is sure, they always need materials. Lots of materials. Hang around the "Auction House" or the trade chat channel.

The "nice" players

• The Mother: Players who want to help everybody. Usually hang in the low level areas giving away free stuff and advices. Sometimes they might make you feel like there is a catch. I once meet a player who keep asking if I needed something despite the fact that I say I had everything I needed 3 times *suspicious*.
  
  
• The Storyteller: Probably the most awesome players in a MMORPG. Storytellers create content...out of thin air. They usually are role-players, but they don't need to be. I once saw a real story teller in Guild Wars, She gathered a good 30 players in a low population outpost and spent a good 2 hours telling a story. Once it was over, she said she was doing that every week around the same time...Simply amazing stuff.
  
  
• [i]second-in-command[i]: The Storyteller/Guild master second-in-command. Somebody who want to help storytellers and participate with all their heart into their make up events/content or somebody who will be a guild officer and help his/her guild to prosper. They could be storytellers themselves, people who lack the creativity to create content out of thin air or people who lack the "leadership" or simply don't want to be the leaders this time.

I had the idea of this thread when responding to SandsS in Darka's the Thick skin thread. So thanks SandsS.

Great read Az!!!

So, um...if I fall into the "joker" (/cue Steve Miller) category..will you still wanna game with me?? hehe. Actually. i'm a combo of "Joker/ the Mother/ and the Storyteller"...if only I had time to tell you how I had 30 people doing a crawl race in boxers around Coronet Starport Interior (SWG)!!!![i]

Schwendo wrote:

Great read Az!!!

So, um...if I fall into the "joker" (/cue Steve Miller) category..will you still wanna game with me?? hehe. Actually. i'm a combo of "Joker/ the Mother/ and the Storyteller"...if only I had time to tall you how I had 30 people doing a crawl race in boxers around Coronet Starport Interior (SWG)!!!![i]

I'm also a Joker/Mother/Storyteller hybrid, buuuuuut...

I'm more of a "Making a fool out of myself on the forums"-joker than a "making a fool out of myself in game"-joker, though I don't really need to be seen as either. But I may also be an "in character"-joker, or a "amongst friends in the cargohold of one of our ships"-joker.

Definately not a "dancing naked on top of a mailbox in the middle of town"-joker (unless there's a really good in character reason for it, but then there'll be people RPing around and at it).

I guess that makes me a

Joker/Light Role Player/Storyteller? I think?

And frell you Schwendo. /off to youtube.

I'm a Joker/Mother/Loner/Light-RP...

with Powergamer/min/maxers tendencies creeping in. Deformed slightly, I pick a playstyle and I try to make the best out of it and I give people advices as opposed to tell them their character sucks, which is usually wrong anyway, it have more to do with people not knowing all the game rules. I realized that I don't have that much fun with "maxed" toons a few years ago.

I mostly prefer being a Loner, when I try stuff. Got a new ability for a my class, want to try a new "combo", explore a new area, etc. But that's because most people just want to finish quests. I join up with people for quests and that's where the "Light-RP" enter.

I lack the "party organizer" mentality to be a Storyteller, but I will help others in their events. I guess I should add the "second-in-command" to the list.

You sound like my buddy Windwraith from WoW (that is possibly joining us for TOR,) he's a bit of a loner.

He's been playing since the closed Beta for WoW, and he has three accounts. Two are for bank alts for his trade skills and gear/misc. for his alts he enjoys playing...which is like 10 hunters. He's happiest in groups only when they're his level and not being run around just picking up stuff, he just wants to play. That said though he usually spends 80% of his time alone, sitting on vent with me as we ratchet jaw back and forth. He likes finding out what works best for his characters and we often compare notes...but he's not one of those "I must be the best evar!" kind of people. We just enjoy the journey, and I think some of the most fun times I've had in that game was questing late into the night on alts, just BS'ing around. He's fine running off by himself and doing what he needs to, testing specs and new ideas by himself.

Though, his wife also gives him 'mandatory' WoW time, because she feels him playing with me is good luck, when her sports teams are on TV.

He sound a bit like me, but I don't make that many alts...yet.

Ehehehehe. "The problematic players" is a good section title.

And I admit, I've often fallen into it. Most of my MMO experience is running as a support job, and for whatever reason there seem to be fewer people attracted to the role. On the one hand you're never without a group, and on the other it can be mighty easy to fall into the elitist camp.

I did a little to offset this by forming PuG's for the same stuff I would normally run friends-only. Being an in-demand support class just meant that I had a difficult time balancing between helping guildies and being kind to needy strangers, as well.

"Elitist min-maxer with a soul," maybe? There were bad days ... but those were more the result of personality clashes rather than gaming clashes.

You should add something about the Crafter! I have a bit of that in me, too. And the second-in-command. I don't like to lead as much, but that support role is all me. Gamers also tend to evolve over time. At first I liked exploring and socializing. Then I got talked into endgame PvE by a friend, and the rest is history.

The Crafter...How could I forgot thee. I tried to be one once in DAoC, but the grind was just to much for me.

I'm definately a loner, with a little bit of joker and mother in the mix. And I might occasionally tell about my day when the guild chat gets too quiet...

And I'm a huge altoholic also. In WoW I have 11 level 80's and about 10 level 60's I leveled with 'recruit-a-friend' bonus exp when I got another account for myself. Leveling alts basicly has been my end game ever since I stopped raiding right before the first expansion came. I just somehow lost the fun for grouping. Maybe I can gain it back when The Old Republic finally comes. At least I feel I have found some nice people even before the launch.

I'm the antithesis of a "Crafter"...SWG had a VERY depthful crafting/ economy system...I just could'nt get into it ...not downing it....it just "was'nt me"

Nice list...I would include one more if I may..."Light Loner"- one who, at times, plays by him/herself.

Guess I would be...in this order:

1) Min/Maxer...first and formost. Always looking at stats and gear and play style and ALWAYS more than willing to help people who may want or need help (never one who points out someone's downfalls but rather jumps when help is asked for).
2) Joker...always
3) mother
4) crafter
5) "light" role-player...meaning I can really get immersed in the quest content when taking in things for the first time...especially the story line quests.
6) "light" loner...prefer to play with others, however will quest alone from time to time.

Think we should add "The Crazy" just because.

The Crazy is an evolved Joker.

I can add an addendum to the Loner for the "light" variation and I probably should add a real role-player as well. They might feel a bit lonely...oh and didn't put any "PvP or die" type too.

Hm, seems like i am a joking Loner with some motherly feelings.

Great post. I doubt any one fits into just one category.

I for one am a light-RP, explorationist, semi-loner, with mother and min/max tendencies.

I say semi-loner because although good groups are the most fun part of the game I just assume due the solo content solo.

An explorationists is a subgroup (or possibly supergroup) of completionist. I am definitely someone who is drawn to the blank spaces on the map. IRL I am a caver and cave surveyor. However, unlike the completionist, I don't carry a list or care about achievements. Exploration just for the sake of exploration not for completing all the items on some list.

Godric_Barbarosa wrote:

Great post. I doubt any one fits into just one category.

I for one am a light-RP, explorationist, semi-loner, with mother and min/max tendencies.

I say semi-loner because although good groups are the most fun part of the game I just assume due the solo content solo.

An explorationists is a subgroup (or possibly supergroup) of completionist. I am definitely someone who is drawn to the blank spaces on the map. IRL I am a caver and cave surveyor. However, unlike the completionist, I don't carry a list or care about achievements. Exploration just for the sake of exploration not for completing all the items on some list.

The checklist is a bit of a joke.

The Explorer would be a supergroup. I will add it later.