Pick-Up Group: Difference between revisions

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{{quote|Some poor bastard desperately needs/wants an item from a [[Final Fantasy XI|BCNM]], an item he cannot afford to or is unable to purchase. Thus, the aforementioned poor bastard must organize a band of people he has never met before and trust them to not rip him off.

We call this a prick up group.|''[http://bannable-offenses.blogspot.com/2008/01/deal-or-no-deal.html GM Dave], Bannable Offenses''}}

You're playing a MMORPG, and you decide that you need a group of people to take on the next dungeon/mission/area/cake.... but all of your friends are either offline or clinically dead. What's a player to do? Never fear, you can find a [[Pick-Up Group]] to play with! After shouting things like "LVL 654 [[Munchkin]] LFG!" for five minutes or so, you will be rewarded with an Adventuring Party to kill things with! <ref>LFG, for those not in the know, means "Looking For Group." (No, not [[Does This Remind You of Anything?|that]] way. Get your mind out of the gutter. Not [[Looking for Group|the comic, either]].)</ref>

You're playing a MMORPG, and you decide that you need a group of people to take on the next dungeon/mission/area/cake.... but all of your friends are either offline or clinically dead. What's a player to do? Never fear, you can find a '''Pick-Up Group''' to play with! After shouting things like "LVL 654 [[Munchkin]] LFG!" for five minutes or so, you will be rewarded with an Adventuring Party to kill things with! <ref>LFG, for those not in the know, means "Looking For Group." (No, not [[Does This Remind You of Anything?|that]] way. Get your mind out of the gutter. Not [[Looking for Group|the comic, either]].)</ref>

....or rather, you are rewarded with several people who were bored enough to game with the first thing that walks on two legs. If they're ''really'' picky, then they're bored enough to game with the first Level 654 Munchkin that walks on two legs. In either case, the bar for entry is low, and you get what you paid for: [[Sturgeon's Law]].

Gaming with a [[Pick-Up Group]] works just fine for the earlier missions of a game, because it doesn't get difficult until later. But at some point, the missions will require carefully-built characters, everyone knowing what the rest of the group is good at, and maybe, just maybe, ''communication''. [[Pick-Up Group]]s are not known for any of these things. Once you start entering challenging dungeons with a [[Pick-Up Group]], expect a [[Total Party Kill]], possibly helped along by a [[Leeroy Jenkins]].

Gaming with a '''Pick-Up Group''' works just fine for the earlier missions of a game, because it doesn't get difficult until later. But at some point, the missions will require carefully-built characters, everyone knowing what the rest of the group is good at, and maybe, just maybe, ''communication''. '''Pick-Up Group'''s are not known for any of these things. Once you start entering challenging dungeons with a '''Pick-Up Group''', expect a [[Total Party Kill]], possibly helped along by a [[Leeroy Jenkins]].

[[Pick-Up Group]]s (or PUGS) vary widely in quality; while some will be filled with moderately-experienced players, the rest will be horrible, consisting of either new players or old players with no ''tolerance'' for new players. Unsurprisingly, such a group will usually fall apart after a few [[Total Party Kill|wipes]], leaving you with the options of either giving up on whatever precious little progress you've made or looking for replacements.

'''Pick-Up Group'''s (or PUGS) vary widely in quality; while some will be filled with moderately-experienced players, the rest will be horrible, consisting of either new players or old players with no ''tolerance'' for new players. Unsurprisingly, such a group will usually fall apart after a few [[Total Party Kill|wipes]], leaving you with the options of either giving up on whatever precious little progress you've made or looking for replacements.

Unfortunately enough, variations of this affect nearly every team-based online game the world has ever known, although it's usually in a Player Vs. Player setup. A clan or at least a somewhat organized group will almost always triumph over an enemy group consisting mostly of clueless players that don't pay attention to anything but themselves.

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** ''[[Champions Online]]'' works the same way, where at peak times every quest objective will have a bunch of heroes waiting outside for enough players to take it down.

* Sort of averted in ''[[Final Fantasy XI]]'' in which pickup parties are regularly used to level, and can even do reasonably well, even if the group is made up of four Japanese speakers, one French speaker and one English speaker (and that was before french was supported by the auto translator).

** Much of this is because ''[[Final Fantasy XI]]'' is such a group-intensive game, it is much harsher on people completely unable to play well in a group. There's is a sharp decline in completely incompetent players as you go from each "tier" of area to the next, since if someone is unable to even do basic actions, they will be incapable of pulling their weight. By the time you get to the 30s or so, you just simply won't encounter people that are unable to even bluff their way through partying. Sadly, the standards of skill that are required of a persistent player aren't quite that high, still often leading to bad players(It's now also possible to solo to 75 on some jobs now, with Fields of Valor and Campaign, but with the majority of the playerbase as veterans, [[~~Noob|nooblets~~]] can still be sniffed out in seconds flat because of other events, not to mention the length of time it would take to solo to the level cap). In comparison, most [[MMORPG]]s that offer solo options tend to have a very gradual decline in players that lack party skills, oftentimes having people get to the level cap and are unable to fulfill their assumed role in a party setting.

** Much of this is because ''[[Final Fantasy XI]]'' is such a group-intensive game, it is much harsher on people completely unable to play well in a group. There's is a sharp decline in completely incompetent players as you go from each "tier" of area to the next, since if someone is unable to even do basic actions, they will be incapable of pulling their weight. By the time you get to the 30s or so, you just simply won't encounter people that are unable to even bluff their way through partying. Sadly, the standards of skill that are required of a persistent player aren't quite that high, still often leading to bad players(It's now also possible to solo to 75 on some jobs now, with Fields of Valor and Campaign, but with the majority of the playerbase as veterans, [[noob]]lets can still be sniffed out in seconds flat because of other events, not to mention the length of time it would take to solo to the level cap). In comparison, most [[MMORPG]]s that offer solo options tend to have a very gradual decline in players that lack party skills, oftentimes having people get to the level cap and are unable to fulfill their assumed role in a party setting.

* Notorious in ''[[World of Warcraft]]'' in both [[PvP]] and [[PvE]] aspects.

** Extensive automated matchmaking systems exist that place you into available spots in regular dungeon runs, Alliance vs. Horde battlegrounds and, as of latest update, a low difficulty mode of raid dungeons with reduced loot quality. Rest assured, there WILL be someone in your group vocally expressing their displeasure at others' performance, justified or not.

** Rating-based player versus player combat arenas and regular raid dungeons don't have such systems in place due to harder demands placed on each individual character. Still, those who don't participate in such activities with a guild often attempt to join up for raids and arenas with random people salvaged from general chat channels after stringent equipment and competence check. Results can vary regardless.

** Part of the reason for the generally low quality of pick up groups in WoW is that the ''good'' players tend to form guilds and run dungeons with their fellow guild members, leaving the players who are unable or unwilling to join quality guilds to haunt the LookingForGroup channel. This is not always the case, of course, but the whole point of a [[Pick-Up Group]] is that there's no guarantee that the players you meet in one will be even slightly competent. On the other hand, a very good way to find a quality guild in the first place is to fill in an empty party/raid slot and perform well.

** Part of the reason for the generally low quality of pick up groups in WoW is that the ''good'' players tend to form guilds and run dungeons with their fellow guild members, leaving the players who are unable or unwilling to join quality guilds to haunt the LookingForGroup channel. This is not always the case, of course, but the whole point of a '''Pick-Up Group''' is that there's no guarantee that the players you meet in one will be even slightly competent. On the other hand, a very good way to find a quality guild in the first place is to fill in an empty party/raid slot and perform well.

* ''[[Guild Wars]]'' has two notable aspects regarding this. 1)It becomes damn-near impossible to solo play after a certain point (both for sheer difficulty, and the game actually telling you to put a group together). 2)The game provides certain archetype-filling NPCs, if you can't (or don't want to) team with other players.

** If you get the Nightfall and/or Eye of the North expansions, you get heroes, which are NPC party-fillers that you can customize and equip yourself, basically letting you play the game as you would a single-player RPG. After years of player demand, you can now fill out the entire party with heroes. Certain high-end and [[PvP]] areas of the game disable partying with NPCs to require grouping with actual players.

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** Task Forces got much better after the old version of Positron's. It had the bad combination of being early in the game where the players' characters are rather weak, being overly long, and sending them up against three of the most annoying villain groups available at that level range. The developers have long since learned from their mistakes and the newer task forces (including the current version of Positron's) are much better.

** There isn't really anything that a Pick Up Group cannot beat in [[City of Heroes]], even the Lord Recluse and Statesman Task Forces, as long as the members are willing to ''communicate'', and are willing to at least give cursory attention to making sure the team has decent support, damage, and durability. (Leeroying does not have -near- the stigma in Cities as it does elsewhere.)

*** Let's face it, [[Poor Communication Kills]]. In just about any game, a [[Pick-Up Group]] will do significantly better if they ''talk'' to each other. It's frankly about 90% of the difference between a PUG and a guild run anyway.

*** Let's face it, [[Poor Communication Kills]]. In just about any game, a '''Pick-Up Group''' will do significantly better if they ''talk'' to each other. It's frankly about 90% of the difference between a PUG and a guild run anyway.

*** Leeroying is so much of a not-problem that a common phrase bandied about is "[[WoW]] has Leeroy Jenkins as a player. We have it as an ''[[Splat|archetype]].''"

*** Though it probably belongs in [[Troper Tales]], this troper would also like to attest that, in his short free-trial-period with ''City of Heroes'', he was deeply impressed with the maturity and generosity of the player base. The traditional problem with [[PU Gs]] and with [[MMOs]] as a whole—[[Sturgeon's Law|90% of the membership being idiots]]—seemed completely averted to him.

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** Totally true, however, for [[Everquest 2]]. In [[EQ 2]], dying only loses you a modicum of exp that will regenerate anyway if you just take a break, and while grouping nets you better rewards it's by no means necessary to reach the End Game. Ironically, on the off-chance you end up in a good pickup group, you'll have friends for life.

* These used to be all over the place in [[Phantasy Star]] Online. Groups not pre-organized were usually composed of either moderately-leveled but unspecialized characters that liked to work outside class (one guy constantly used [[Squishy Wizard|forces]] to melee without casting [[Status Buffs]] first and got himself killed a lot), or of sharked Level 200s who didn't know what they were doing at all. This situation is now entirely inverted, as there is only one server left, it's private, and the people there are all legitimate level 200s who have been playing for almost a decade.

* With the coming of modern cooperative-like FPS like [[Borderlands]] and the [[Left 4 Dead]] games, the composition of a [[Pick-Up Group]] is starting to become a more serious issue among FPS gamers. When there's only four guys on your team, you can't really afford to have someone with a broken mic.

* With the coming of modern cooperative-like FPS like [[Borderlands]] and the [[Left 4 Dead]] games, the composition of a '''Pick-Up Group''' is starting to become a more serious issue among FPS gamers. When there's only four guys on your team, you can't really afford to have someone with a broken mic.

** The issues with [[Borderlands]], specifically, hearken back to the [[Diablo]] days, since the multiplayer modes are so similar: you can play with friends, or just with three guys who come in hoping desperately they don't start looting everything in sight and charging through the map without a word.

** As for [[Left 4 Dead]], unless you have a massive circle of friends willing to play the game at a moment's notice (chances are you don't), you'll have to play with some randoms. The players you get range from "competent" to "houseplant," where even bots are preferable to the oblivious [[The Millstone|Millstone(s)]] on your team. This is especially true when playing Versus against a somewhat-organized team.

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* [[Puzzle Pirates]] is based almost exclusively on this. If you want people who aren't in your crew to help pillage, you need to assemble a pick-up group. Pillages quickly become luck of the draw, whether you get skilled players and are set to make a fortune on a pillage, or bad players, where the pillage costs you thousands of coins with no return. And the only real way to make the money back is more pick-up groups!

* [[Runescape]] introduced dungeoneering, and with it, the party system. For the lower levels of the skill, you pretty much solo, but once you get to 50-90, you're forced to do 5:5 larges. Since most dungeon clans (full of experienced players) are like level 90+ dungeon to join, you're pretty much stuck with whoever you find at the dungeoneering worlds (117 and 77). Depending on total level and average combat level, your team may end up missing a lot of rooms, thus losing exp. If a member of the PUG dies, they'll most likely [[Rage Quit]], and if you run into a "follow the leader" room shortly after, the team auto-wipes.

** levels 90-120 however (which are pretty much 97% of the total exp need to get from 1-120), are a complete breeze with those elite team members. As a comparison, most of those clan teams will usually take ~~30-45~~ minutes on ''any'' floor, while PUG usually take ~~50-110~~ minutes on the lower level floors. Really bad PUG may take over two hours on a large.

** levels 90-120 however (which are pretty much 97% of the total exp need to get from 1-120), are a complete breeze with those elite team members. As a comparison, most of those clan teams will usually take 30–45 minutes on ''any'' floor, while PUG usually take 50–110 minutes on the lower level floors. Really bad PUG may take over two hours on a large.

* Seeing as most of the time, it's nearly impossible to keep track of a regular party in ''[[Adventure Quest Worlds]]'', you will probably encounter these every day. No exceptions.

** However, most lower-leveled monsters and bosses can be defeated alone, with the result that pick-up groups tend to be limited to boss monsters with much higher HP and damage.