Crazy idea that just might work, single player dungeons/raids

[Tharkkun]

Hey, it's always possible to expand on the system. With each extra player character, it would just increase the difficulty to a corresponding level. Each extra player character would also have their own AI bodyguards that they would be able to control.

Solo - 1 player, 2 AI bodyguards.
2 Players - 2 players, 4 AI bodyguards.
3 Players - 3 Players, 6 AI bodyguards.

The number of AI bodyguards is a subject that can be debated of course. Being able to fill a 20 man raid with AI bodyguards would be cool.
Etc.

With AI you run the risk of how much effort is the player going through versus how much are you being carried by the AI itself? I would think for a challenge type mode it would have to be solo.

[satella]

With AI you run the risk of how much effort is the player going through versus how much are you being carried by the AI itself? I would think for a challenge type mode it would have to be solo.

You would be responsible for them, you would be giving them orders, your timing on correct orders would determine success rate. These would not be mindless pets.

[Tharkkun]

Sounds awesome. Some people think that mmo-rpg = cooperative multiplayer by default. Luckly Blizzard doesn't listen to those otherwise we would never have challenges like the Mage Tower.

Singleplayer with the option of multiplayer is the best.

That's pretty much the definition of it since day 1. A social, massive multiplayer world where people interact with each other. I can't see the game being as successful as it was if all the dungeon content was pure solo. But adding in side content which is single player alongside the normal content being offered is a good idea.

[Zyrinx]

With AI you run the risk of how much effort is the player going through versus how much are you being carried by the AI itself? I would think for a challenge type mode it would have to be solo.

The Healing Mage Tower used 3 AI guys. Or maybe "AI" guys because they were really just there to do stupid things and soak damage to give you stuff to heal. So anyways there is precedent for party Bots that you yourself have to carry, not the other way around.

[Thetruth1400]

I ask for solo player dungeons and raids all the time. But as blizzard ignores me, and you too, op, we will never get it.

That's because you guys are playing the wrong game. WoW is a MMORPG, not a single player dungeon crawler.


That being said, it's not a horrible idea, just not a good one. Single player content in a multi player game that rewards gear at or near par is not a good idea. It cheapens the game as a whole and raises the expectations needlessly.

If it's just to chase cosmetics and drops the same items it always has, then sure it's fine to have them provide a bit more challenge then just going through and slaughtering everything, as an option, not a rule. Should it drop more for you doing so? No, anything over 10 levels difference already drops as if it were a max sized group.

[Shelly]

As I say so often in threads like these, your idea isn't terrible, but it's terrible for WoW.

It's good that you are really saying that it's more for legacy content but they've already made their choice on how legacy content and legacy loot should work.

The fact of the matter is that WoW needs community and the developers want everyone to really experience and explore the world. This is why Mythic dungeons requires people to come to them - it gives people time to chat while on flight paths and if you're talking then there's a good chance you might find you like each other and have a better chance of throwing each other on friends list.

WoW still needs ways to push those levels of community far more than it does for more single target content. Or when they do single target content it needs to be limited and specific such as the mage tower was, where the purpose of the single target content would be to later encourage group content since to get the other forms for those cosmetic appearances you needed to push into M+, Heroic Raids, PvP, etc.

[Melsiren]

Yeah, that's a hard pass for me.

That's because you guys are playing the wrong game. WoW is a MMORPG, not a single player dungeon crawler.

The fact you even have to explain that to anyone is concerning.

[satella]

That's because you guys are playing the wrong game. WoW is a MMORPG, not a single player dungeon crawler.


That being said, it's not a horrible idea, just not a good one. Single player content in a multi player game that rewards gear at or near par is not a good idea. It cheapens the game as a whole and raises the expectations needlessly.

If it's just to chase cosmetics and drops the same items it always has, then sure it's fine to have them provide a bit more challenge then just going through and slaughtering everything, as an option, not a rule. Should it drop more for you doing so? No, anything over 10 levels difference already drops as if it were a max sized group.

This is only for legacy content, the special gear that drops would only be usable when inside the instance.

This is for those that like to experience the old instances but be challenged at the same time, and the people that want to gather vanity items with more efficiency.

The more time you invest into the system, the more special items you get that you can equip on yourself and your AI bodyguards, allowing you to go for hard modes, gaining increased drop rates on vanity items. So more time invested = more efficient vanity hunting.

[Zyrinx]

Yeah, that's a hard pass for me.



The fact you even have to explain that to anyone is concerning.

So you were anti-Mage Tower?

[Thetruth1400]

This is for those that like to experience the old instances but be challenged at the same time, and the people that want to gather vanity items with more efficiency.

Those two points are mutually exclusive.

Either you want a challenge or you want what is essentially just easy cosmetic unlocks.

As it stands now, I don't see how much more efficient you want then what we currently have, which is legacy (aka 5 - 40 people's worth of loot at once) per run as well as our outleveling the content so much it's trivial and you can finish even the longest dungeons in about 5 minutes max and raids in about 20 - 30 minutes.

[satella]

Those two points are mutually exclusive.

Either you want a challenge or you want what is essentially just easy cosmetic unlocks.

As it stands now, I don't see how much more efficient you want then what we currently have, which is legacy (aka 5 - 40 people's worth of loot at once) per run as well as our outleveling the content so much it's trivial and you can finish even the longest dungeons in about 5 minutes max and raids in about 20 - 30 minutes.

Hypothetically, lets say you can gather 2 vanity items per hour now. With this system, at first, you could only gather 1 vanity item per hour. With enough time invested into the system, you could increase that to more than 2 per hour.

The main draw is the challenge, the vanity items are there for an extra incentive. It's a separate progression system, not connected to your current gear or the current content at all.

[shade3891]

Don't like the bodyguards, I dislike pet management in general.

[Wangming]

So would the thing that works perfectly fine for SWTOR, FFXIV and ESO (I think there is an option. Is there?) work in WoW as well?

Pretty sure it would. I mean we have precedent of it working.

[satella]

Don't like the bodyguards, I dislike pet management in general.

Well, when AI becomes advanced enough, you won't be managing pets, you would essentially be like a group/raid leader.

You would make sure you have the right composition and that they have the right gear equipped, the right talents etc. The possibilities of a vast customization system is there. Something I find that WoW lacks severely, but hopefully not for long.

[A Chozo]

A social, massive multiplayer world where people interact with each other.

Interaction =/= cooperation. PvP is an interaction, mining a node and making it vanish is an interaction, even using the action house is an interaction. This is what makes mmo-rpgs, not this lobby-cooperative gameplay that a minority of the playerbase keeps pushing for.

[rda]

Yes, absolutely, I support it and want it.

This is one of the rare things that can reinvigorate the game, and actually save it and give it a new life, possibly better than the one it had before. (Another one being solo queues for mythic+ and all types of PVP with rated BGs first and foremost, lots to talk about here, but it is all doable and very potent.) Yes, yes, yes.

Thank you OP.

[Tiwack]

What if that instance was the outdoor world in the game or the hard-mode was proper scaling and balancing?

Gear that only works in a specific instance won't be very welcomed and mostly ignored as you're creating just another subset activity in the game like pet-battles and the secondary professions.

[Doffen]

Legion style challenge mode would be better if people want solo content.

Yeah, just make more of that.

I had a blast in there. Even if it got way easier later on it was still fun. Also fun to have done it early, first day it was up I did my first one. E-peen enlargement right there. Just a shame that I couldn't blame anyone for any mistake that happened in all those I did, that's the good thing about multiplayer content, blame someone else if shit hits the fan :>

[jellmoo]

This is a great idea. More use for old content that is challenging but also viable for a solo player. Options are always a good thing. This game can and does accommodate multiple play styles. It's absurd to say that just because it's an MMORPG that it cannot allow for some solo content as well.

[derpkitteh]

i've wanted this for a long time.

have them offer little to no rewards, just the story of the area.

i know i'd never even step foot in lfr again, if this were a thing.