Ragnarok Online as a single-player RPG

[OldPoring]

What do you think about it?

1)Do you prefer to play in a party, but you can safely run solo? 
2)Play only in a party, and there is no other way 
3)Play ragnarok only solo?

I came to R.O. 20 years ago. Then an acquaintance told about this game and we played together, then several acquaintances also from real life joined. Then, of course, they stopped playing, and I stayed. Played on different servers, with different ratings and mechanics. But mostly always solo. Yes, I just like the gameplay, the graphics, the mechanics. How do you play?

[ForgotMyOldAccount]

I don't get people who prefer to play solo. You could just as easily run an emulator on your local PC or play a server with a very low pop, but most of the people who prefer solo play simultaneously want some huge economy. They only want to interact with others when it comes to the market, which is strange. You could make a single player RO with a simulated bot market and no real players and that should, in theory, satisfy this demographic. What's the benefit in playing an MMORPG solo?

[OldPoring]

You could just as easily run an emulator on your local PC

The first is not right – it's not easy at all. You need to read guides, you need to configure both the server and client parts. It takes many hours to devote to this.
We can see that even some inept server owners sometimes cannot configure everything correctly, let alone those who are inexperienced in the software part casual users

most of the people who prefer solo play simultaneously want some huge economy. They only want to interact with others when it comes to the market, which is strange.

I agree here, this is how I also interact with the community - through trading.
That's why I now have 2 servers in my arsenal (in the profile). One server is super low-rated, where I will never reach 99/70. The second one is the other way - you can quickly upgrade char to the "lamp" and allow yourself absolutely any kind of items that you dreamed of in RO including MVP Cards.

What's the benefit in playing an MMORPG solo?

I have already said my point of view. I just really like RO. It worked like magic on me 20 years ago, this coincided with my acquaintance with the Internet.
In all respects of games - gameplay, graphics, music, mechanics, quests, etc. I think about it now not like "MMORPG", It's more like "Sandbox game".Where you just want to come back. Over and over again.

[Playtester]

Setting up a local server isn't THAT hard, but it can take several hours, yes. I'd say if you have someone who already knows how to do it helps, you can do it in less than an hour.

I guess if you really have no clue about computers other than you can double click icons on your desktop to launch a game, it might be more challenging. But if you're well-versed with computers, you will also know which questions to ask and then people are fairly willing to help you too.

[OldPoring]

Conversation took a wrong turn. I didn't say anywhere that I wanted to play offline on my server, where it would be just me!
On the contrary, I am grateful to the competent game masters and developers of the servers where I play. And I'm not going to play offline as long as there is at least one private server

It's just that I dont like PVP or WOE, but like solo grinding, solo farming, completing quests, refine gears. A lot of things you can do in RO solo. But at the same time, interacting with the market.
And I don't think I'm alone in this approach to the game. About 20%-30% of players are playing the same way now. IMO.
pardon me if this kind "discussion" is not interesting

[Metan]

I understand that, for some people, market suffices for interaction, and if this is true for games where you just don't interact at all, like PoE (unless you consider copypasted messages and interactions that border the robotic as interaction), then I'm sure this is even more relevant in RO where you actually contact somebody, bargain, etc, and then there's a fair chance you'll meet him again at some point. Personally, while I've gone this path before, it no longer cuts it for me.

I've done a lot of solo play, but I always found it really hard to stick solo for a long time and I eventually seek some sort of group, as otherwise I just lose motivation. Nowadays, the thought only crosses my mind if I'm after some exotic server, like ccRO most recently (well, some two years ago by now), and even then I end up making friends, partying up and such. So I guess it's a mix of the first and the third options: I don't have any problem doing solo stuff, so long as I'm part of a group; but if I'm supposed to be solo all the time, then I'd rather not play the game.

[Playtester]

I didn't say anywhere that I wanted to play offline on my server, where it would be just me!
On the contrary, I am grateful to the competent game masters and developers of the servers where I play. And I'm not going to play offline as long as there is at least one private server

It's just that I dont like PVP or WOE, but like solo grinding, solo farming, completing quests, refine gears. A lot of things you can do in RO solo. But at the same time, interacting with the market.
And I don't think I'm alone in this approach to the game. About 20%-30% of players are playing the same way now. IMO.
pardon me if this kind "discussion" is not interesting

Well, you were kind of implying it by calling the thread title "Ragnarok Online as a single-player RPG". You didn't name it "Ragnarok Online as a solo player" or "Ragnarok Online as PVM-only MMORPG".

But to answer your original questions:

1)Do you prefer to play in a party, but you can safely run solo?

In a party, basically wouldn't even play the game without a party. Usually I first find someone who never played the game who wants to try it before even starting playing it again. And then we have a "Play only together" pact.

2)Play only in a party, and there is no other way

Would certainly benefit me if party-play was enforced or highly encouraged. I do enjoy adding more players to the party.

3)Play ragnarok only solo?

Rarely, but sometimes I just want to waste time.
Also I guess me walking around towns and checking the market could be constituted as solo play.

[OldPoring]

And then we have a "Play only together" pact.
Would certainly benefit me if party-play was enforced or highly encouraged. I do enjoy adding more players to the party.

A kind of extremism. Especially "party-play was enforced".
It's like you want to force your vision on others. But why, If majority wanted to play in party? It means that there are a lot of players who don't want to play in party and it annoys you.

but I always found it really hard to stick solo for a long time and I eventually seek some sort of group, as otherwise I just lose motivation

Based on experience of playing RO, the main motivation is the path to the «lamp», process itself. As soon as you reach your 99/70 (or another maximum on your server) , motivation will go away. Then you can start leveling another char. And another. And another. Then move to another server. That's why ultra-low-rated x1x1x1 servers keep the player's attention longer (although there's also the possibility that they'll get bored of it and leave anyway)

and even then I end up making friends, partying up and such.

Depends on what you call «friends». Communication of the party during leveling is quite primitive "heal / buff / etc". The process of leveling in party is also a routine. Mobber leads monsters to Wizards etc. All this also happened a hundred times.

Another reason to play solo is that you don't depend on anyone and don't let anyone down.
I can play every day for half an hour, or I can play a day for a few hours in a row and then not log in RO for a month! I don't even turn on my computer every day at home.

I don't have any problem doing solo stuff, so long as I'm part of a group; but if I'm supposed to be solo all the time, then I'd rather not play the game.

You mentioned, for example, PoE (Path of Exile). I dread imagining how I would try to immerse myself in such a massive game from scratch. Most likely, I will have neither the time nor the desire to delve into all the subtleties and devote hours to it.
For older people, this is almost unacceptable. Older people, on the contrary, tend to return to repetition, to where it was good.
Too much time has been invested in Ragnarok to be abandoned.

[Metan]

Based on experience of playing RO, the main motivation is the path to the «lamp», process itself. As soon as you reach your 99/70 (or another maximum on your server) , motivation will go away. Then you can start leveling another char. And another. And another. Then move to another server. That's why ultra-low-rated x1x1x1 servers keep the player's attention longer (although there's also the possibility that they'll get bored of it and leave anyway)

There's that, yeah. Personally, the game doesn't necessarily stop after I'm maxed; I see leveling as a consequence of playing, not the main objective, and so, practicality aside, it doesn't matter whether I'm level 90 or 99.

Depends on what you call «friends». Communication of the party during leveling is quite primitive "heal / buff / etc". The process of leveling in party is also a routine. Mobber leads monsters to Wizards etc. All this also happened a hundred times.

Another reason to play solo is that you don't depend on anyone and don't let anyone down.
I can play every day for half an hour, or I can play a day for a few hours in a row and then not log in RO for a month! I don't even turn on my computer every day at home.

I think people often understate communication in leveling parties. If it's true that it's a repetitive process, it's also true that the party experience will eventually become so stale that people will start talking before long, and I've developed the unlikely skill of typing while mobbing because this happens more often than people think, from Seals to Bio3. This is also true if you're duoing, though for another reason entirely. It's like how you eventually start chatting while shopping with someone: you're not necessarily bored, it just happens. I've made some good friends in both cases across many servers. Also, if you're in a guild or just partying with friends, there's always the option of joining voice chat.

As for just playing the game, no strings attached, I'll have to illustrate like this: I used to like this kind of MMO that binds you to some sort of contract whereby you have to follow a strict schedule of dailies, weeklies, raids, etc., but over time this grew really old for me, and some games (like modern DFO) have made it unbearable for me because they basically become second jobs, and that's partially why I barely lasted a month in Lost Ark. So I don't like this sense either, but I don't feel it when I'm playing with friends. (I'm assuming here that I have not befriended an obsessive person, in which case the fault would lie on him.) I guess it's a matter of perspective.

You mentioned, for example, PoE (Path of Exile). I dread imagining how I would try to immerse myself in such a massive game from scratch. Most likely, I will have neither the time nor the desire to delve into all the subtleties and devote hours to it.
For older people, this is almost unacceptable. Older people, on the contrary, tend to return to repetition, to where it was good.
Too much time has been invested in Ragnarok to be abandoned.

It doesn't help that PoE has absorbed so many seasonal content into its base game that the gameplay devolved into bloatware... but I don't think it's just a matter of tendency to return to repetition. Modern games are s*** in too many ways for me to delve into it without turning my post into an off-topic wall, but the key takeaway is that people also turn back to old games because the new toys have fallen prey to en-s***-tification (forum filters ruined this word before edit, rip). That doesn't mean all of them are outright bad, and I have actually been playing some more recent games as of late which haven't gone that path, while watching the absolute state of RO private servers nowadays lul. But I think it's a relevant point.

[Felione]

I don't get people who prefer to play solo.

It's very simple: People just want to be part of a community, while also being on their own within that community.

Going to church is a great example of this. You can go alone, and never talk to anyone, but you can contribute, you can take part in activities set by the church, and quite possibly HELP that community flourish without their knowledge. It's an avenue to be around people with similar interests, and listen. A lot of people do this for many reasons as well, one being they do not have the time to share their time with others who may demand it.

I guess the most common analogy would be, watching the a sports game and being part of the crowd. You're there for the game, to enjoy it, and watch others enjoy it with you. It's a personal pleasure, without commitment.

[OldPoring]

For example from RO life, I want to hunt MVP. To do this, I choose a server with a Healer, Buffer, and Warper NPC.
I've leveled up to the last level, bought the necessary gears, and I'm about to start hunting MVP.
But what do I see? It turns out that I have a lot of competitors! That is, they interfere with me, I can't find a single living MVP. And this is with only 30 active players online!
Can you imagine when online was bigger? I remember 2005 year and 2000+ players online. You may not have seen a single MVP, not a single angeling/deviling for weeks)

So the paradox is that for a solo player, a large online can only be harmful. You need to look for a server with a balance: Drop rates / good market of gears and cards / not very large online 

[Metan]

Not to worry, you'll be hard pressed to find a server with 1k+ actual players nowadays =x

But people had their means back then. For one, if a lot of people begin TPing, then surely something's going on. Then, some more dedicated people would leave trick dead Novices next to warp to scout. Further, spawn times were mostly static back then, so keeping track of timers was much simpler. (Personally, it should've remained that way.)

And I disagree that large pop is bad for solo players. This line of thought is especially counterintuitive if you're a MVPer, because the more people around, the more potential buyers for the one source of loot available. Of course it comes with more competition, but it usually pays off if you're good at it.

[Blinzer]

i'll just talk from a vanilla pre-re perspective.

solo vs party exp:

Spoiler

rag as a game is interesting, because the high tech skill cap actually gives soloing a competitive edge for many things. in terms of exp, solo play(as in: not staying in a group on a map, instead opting to hunt alone) is superior to the alternative in any vanilla ragnarok server with a warper and a healer available, that's just by design of the game. you gain exp faster because your map coverage is much faster if you split up, and fly wings are much faster map coverage than walking if you are good(over 2x as fast with extremely well trained reflexes). overall this favors choosing warp/healer being in the game, because it adds an extra layer of depth to the meta.

[close]

for mvp killing, "soloing" by having a bard+dancer+gospel bots is best(+lex bot for endgame mvps). that's technically 4 characters though, so it depends what you mean by soloing. to defeat your competition, the most damage has to be done by a single player, so simply rolling up with any party doesn't actually work.


mvping knowledge:

Spoiler

the tier list of each class for fastest MVP dps changes based off of how many alts you get. the correct sniper build beats everything in dps except for one very rare and obscure champion/creator build paired up with an additional lex bot, where efist does 999k and creators bomb for 40k+ at almost instant cast/no delay. it's also somewhat mvp matchup dependent, you kinda just have to know what is good against what. who the more snappy player is and rng will also somewhat determine who is going to get the kill.

champion is competitive against any mvp it can one shot with minimal setup, because you only have a few seconds to reduce the mvp's HP below half before he walks up to it and ends the fight. you lose to a champion against anything with < 300k health if you both start attacking at the exact same time and he successfully wings after efist without dying. the champ suffers greatly against mid hp targets like rsx due to needing way more time to set up your buff bots, compared to sniper/creator that can just walk in and immediately start dpsing. then when you push up to monsters like randgris, a champ with well timed lexfists becomes the strongest dps.

creator acid demo can do a looot of damage to some mvps, pushing on the door of 50k-60k a second completely solo if done right, and can actually somewhat compete against champion's 999k efists with a full setup. its main weakness is that since it only has 9 range, closing that gap and your cast time can cost you the mvp. for higher tier mobs, ranged characters can attempt to manipulate the mvp by mixing up their skill timing to get the mvp to target the champion and hopefully get him killed, reducing some of the dps while he gets ressed and such. the main thing creator has going for it is that it doesn't need gospel to get going.

my sniper does a flat 20k a second or about 40k with thanatos card as long as the mvp is anywhere my screen. anything that can beat 40k a second beats sniper in an even match, that's pretty much it. you win by being better than your competition, outranging them and being quicker to the trigger for lower end mvps, and for higher tier mvps manipulating your DS/SS timings is mandatory to get the mvp to retarget your competition and get them killed, because if you just hammer away brainlessly you will just be setting your competition up for success. champion is highly monster-frame dependent to avoid getting killed post-efist, so screwing with his timing is pretty much your only defense. creators are more tricky to deal with, since they have full control of the fight once they start bombing, so your goal is to prevent them from having a good opening to begin with.

honorable mention is stalker vs great demon baphomet and a couple of others, which has a pretty unique setup. reflect build is eehhhh. i think mid tier players use it a lot ever since the big boiz quit, but it's not really top tier. i've never seen a reflect stalker outdo a champ against randgris, but i guess it requires less setup(i believe it was the soul linker thing that triples monster damage received and the priest to bring it back) so that could be a point in its favor? i remember it's pretty luck dependent with the sonic blows. it's been too long for me to remember this specific detail about those few mvps that it's competitive on, i haven't played in 12 years boys.

[close]

why do i bring all this up? because this is why a lot of people play the game solo. it's one of the few games that actually cracked the balance between solo and zerg rushing. and it feels satisfying, because the skill/knowledge ceiling is as high as the moon.

[Playtester]

A kind of extremism. Especially "party-play was enforced".
It's like you want to force your vision on others. But why, If majority wanted to play in party? It means that there are a lot of players who don't want to play in party and it annoys you.

If party play was enforced on the server, only people who want to do party play would join the server. People that don't want to can just play on another server.