Brave New World

Since when are characters on SOs not allowed to join the Statesman TF because they are "gimp"?

I'm flabbergasted.

It started with me logging on to my tank at the Vanguard base and someone starting an Apex TF. I sent them a tell and we went off on the taskforce, doing it really quickly. The guy decides to run it again on his blaster, and I decided to do it again since it was a 45 minute affair. No, he doesn't want my tank anymore (the structure of Apex is such that there isn't much tanking needed). He asks me what toons I have with the alpha slotted, and he wanted me to log my mind dominator. Recruit to fill up spots for people leaving. We blow through the TF again, then I suggested we do Tin Mage and he agrees to run it. Recruit again to fill in for people leaving, and the team blows through Tin Mage in 45 minutes.

The trouble started when he decided to do an STF, although I should have noticed the warning signs before. Obssession with getting rads, even when I pointed out we had the envenomed dagger temp power (best temp power ever, cheaply crafted with 30 uses that give with each application half the -regen of lingering radiation. Easily spammable by everyone.)

So he wanted a tank and pointed out that his maxed resist/defense stone tank had already done the STF twice and would get no merit from the run. I offered to log on my tank. He doesn't want to use it, because it's not a stone tank, it's an electric armour tank. Inspiration stack solves the problem, I pointed out, but I just didn't feel like arguing too much. It's his STF, and it is just easier to use the stone tank -- his loss on the merits.

Now that he has a stone tank, he wants a rad and a kin...because he has to run the tank and not the rad. I offer to log on my kin, but it's not IO'd. It's on SOs, not respecced since the IOs came out. No way, he wants a proper kin!

What?

Now if you've played kinetics, you know that two powers matter -- speed boost, and fulcrum shift. There is no way of IOing to make speed boost better. Fulcrum shift can be up more often when IO'd out, but kinetics can buff its own recharge so the thing is permanent anyway. Kinetics isn't a good set for IOs, and it doesn't gain much from IOs, unless you want to go into the defense capping, which presumbably isn't needed if you have your tank to take all the aggro.

Hello, I'm doing him a favour... oh screw it, it's his star, he can play it whichever way he wants.

Half an hour passed while the guy keeps trying to recruit a kin or a rad. The promised 1.5 hour STF still hasn't even started. Gosh, it's 12am, and I don't even know how long my internet connection will hold up, with the competition from my landlady's son (also playing MMOs) and whatever the guy in the other room is doing.

I had completely lost my taste for doing this STF, and decided to bow out.

IOs are great things, fun to play with and increases how well your character plays. But ever since they appeared I noticed something: I'm meeting more and more people who aren't really interested in teaming even in a teaming condition anymore. They don't need other people, they're IO'd and they want to solo in their team.

True, I've also seen the freedom IOs give team composition. I've had teams that are sturdy enough through IO-slotting and the players just roll with whatever players they can get for a TF. They just want to play the TF, rather than play powerset jigsaw puzzle.

But what I see more are people who put a higher premium on the IO's than the actual teaming.

With even more incarnate slots coming, a nagging feeling creeps into my mind. Is this really the game that I want to be playing? Perhaps it's a good time to clear out before the ugliness comes.