Welcome to the Wizard101 Message Boards


Player Guide
Fansites
News
Game Updates
Help

Follow important game updates on Twitter @Wizard101 and @KI_Alerts, and Facebook!

For all account questions and concerns, contact Customer Support.

By posting on the Wizard101 Message Boards you agree to the Code of Conduct.

Feedback "Friday" 3-17-11

1
AuthorMessage
Administrator
Happy almost-Friday. We're having a bit of a Teachers Conference tomorrow, so I wanted to get this posted early.

Standard disclaimer applies: We do not guarantee to use each and every idea submitted, and questions we pose may or may not be pertaining to things we are currently working on, or will ever undertake. Sometimes, there are just technical limitations that make changing things difficult to impossible, and though we possess all manner of magic wands here, there are technological beasts out there that are beyond our grasp. Sometimes, we may not feel it is within the spirit and vision of the spiral to add or change something. Also, we realize that some of these topics may have been addressed before in other threads - sometimes it's good to pick up a discussion again. Chances are I have read your threads and would like to hear more!

This week, let's talk about grouping. Do you use it? If so, what do you like best about it. If not, why? For everyone, what one thing about it would you change to make it more useful?

For example, I use it all the time, as I like to play in a duo. In crowded areas like some parts of Celestia, it makes sure that my partner and I get into the same duel.

Hope you all (or y'all as we say here) have a great holiday today if you celebrate, a fantastic Friday, and a wonderful weekend!

“If the Mind is like a candle, the Heart is like the sun.” Professor Falmea
Explorer
Nov 14, 2010
62
once in a while i like to group but i never know hoiw to get out of group chat besides leaving the group

Defender
May 17, 2009
144
I mostly use it to keep low levels out of the fights when I am farming in Stormriven. God it's annoying when they're there.

A+ Student
Jan 05, 2009
1706
I have a very strange schedule, so it is hard to group, so it means solo for the most part. On the other hand, one of my friends call, and I'll help, or join others if asked, etc. I am not against groupding, just a strange work schedule prohibits.

Explorer
Feb 25, 2010
67
I don't use it. Usually I play in less crowded realms and with only one other person so it's not a big deal to try to get into the same fights.

Squire
Apr 30, 2010
521
I rarely use it. Last time I used it was because a friend wanted to use it. I prefer not to use it.

Astrologist
Jun 04, 2010
1008
Professor Falmea wrote:
Happy almost-Friday. We're having a bit of a Teachers Conference tomorrow, so I wanted to get this posted early.

Standard disclaimer applies: We do not guarantee to use each and every idea submitted, and questions we pose may or may not be pertaining to things we are currently working on, or will ever undertake. Sometimes, there are just technical limitations that make changing things difficult to impossible, and though we possess all manner of magic wands here, there are technological beasts out there that are beyond our grasp. Sometimes, we may not feel it is within the spirit and vision of the spiral to add or change something. Also, we realize that some of these topics may have been addressed before in other threads - sometimes it's good to pick up a discussion again. Chances are I have read your threads and would like to hear more!

This week, let's talk about grouping. Do you use it? If so, what do you like best about it. If not, why? For everyone, what one thing about it would you change to make it more useful?

For example, I use it all the time, as I like to play in a duo. In crowded areas like some parts of Celestia, it makes sure that my partner and I get into the same duel.

Hope you all (or y'all as we say here) have a great holiday today if you celebrate, a fantastic Friday, and a wonderful weekend!


Keeping the group together and everyone in the duel is about the only reason I use it. I find that a lot of people have a hard time switching the conversation between group chat, open chat, and private chat (even the experienced players) so there are a lot of people who just plain don't like to stay in the group. If you could make it just for the purpose of keeping everyone in your group in the same dueling circle (meaning that normal chatting wouldn't be affected), I think it would get a lot more use. Another thought on the same topic is... if you were to do something like I just described, then perhaps when the group is created, it could automatically reserve 3 empty spots so no one could join your circle without joining your group. That would appease a lot of folks who get frustrated by random joins at the same time.

Survivor
Mar 22, 2009
12
Professor Falmea wrote:
Happy almost-Friday. We're having a bit of a Teachers Conference tomorrow, so I wanted to get this posted early.

Standard disclaimer applies: We do not guarantee to use each and every idea submitted, and questions we pose may or may not be pertaining to things we are currently working on, or will ever undertake. Sometimes, there are just technical limitations that make changing things difficult to impossible, and though we possess all manner of magic wands here, there are technological beasts out there that are beyond our grasp. Sometimes, we may not feel it is within the spirit and vision of the spiral to add or change something. Also, we realize that some of these topics may have been addressed before in other threads - sometimes it's good to pick up a discussion again. Chances are I have read your threads and would like to hear more!

This week, let's talk about grouping. Do you use it? If so, what do you like best about it. If not, why? For everyone, what one thing about it would you change to make it more useful?

For example, I use it all the time, as I like to play in a duo. In crowded areas like some parts of Celestia, it makes sure that my partner and I get into the same duel.

Hope you all (or y'all as we say here) have a great holiday today if you celebrate, a fantastic Friday, and a wonderful weekend!
i always use grouping. but i don't like it when more enemies come when more wizards come. i don't know what i would do if my friends (in the game) noah and wolf quit.

Survivor
Mar 22, 2009
12
i need grouping! I don't like when more enemies come in the battle when more wizards enter. I don't know where i would be if my friends quit. i would be at level 10. lol. i am lvl 37 i am a fire student. dr flamea is really nice. esspecialy when she gives you a minion :)

Historian
Jun 14, 2009
678
No, never use it. My partner and I normally find a perfect or normal realm and port to each other. We have never had a problem with this method. Always able to find a battle and for the most part no interferences (ex sp). So there hasn't been a need for grouping.

Historian
May 01, 2010
665
i like to group in a group of 2-3. it is large enough to be effective, but small enough to not become jumbled up.(most notibally [excuse spelling] wand spell after feint one the same enemy.) in groups of 4, 4 people with a different strategy, 4 enemies, what could possibly go wrong? it would take 4 srsly good, communitive(excuse if its not a word lol), wizards to pull it off.(not saying there arent any.) and really, they probablyhave to have been battling together for a while. also, it is kinda annoying if, as said above, people ruin combos and wastes traps by using wand spells (only if it kills it, cause then i am fine with it ) could you make a setting so you can put traps, for everyone and for self?

Explorer
Jan 07, 2010
89
I dont use it all the time, but I do like to use it when I am questing with my friends or my other wizards. A lot of times I am questing alone and use the grouping for my other lower level wizards that will port in and help me during hard battles, this allows me to save the wizard a spot and know that I will absolutely have assistance by a wizard that will actually be helpful in the battle (lol because it is me). I use my lower level wizards for this even in CL. My level 32 wizards are a great help in CL for my wizard that is questing there. I would certainly hate to lose the ability for my level 32 wizard in saving a spot for her and allowing her to port to newer worlds to help my higher wizards fight. If one doesnt want lower levels porting than keep your ports off, dont ban lower levels from porting as a global change, just possible make it an optional change on each account, and maybe make it so that people could specify the level they are blocking, but plz dont make it a global change, I would hate to lose the ability to group and port my lower level wizards to my higher levels for help.

Survivor
Jul 24, 2009
4
Great topic!

I use the group option if I need to speak about something personal or when it is a topic that is not good for younger ears. Grouping can also be very useful in 3v3 or 4v4 pvp matches. The purpose, of course, being that you can communicate strategy in your group w/o the other team seeing.

The problem with this is that it can be VERY difficult to use. In order to communicate silently between your teammates, you must keep the chat/text box open, which is difficult if you are choosing spells, AND trying to see what everyone else is doing. Plus you only have seconds to make decisions, and if one teammate has their text box "unopened", they miss out on critical decisions.

If this is technically possible here is what I would do to fix this:

First, Change the "teeny tiny, itty bitty, little icons" that tells you wether you are speaking to group or speaking to outsiders.

I am refering to the 2 little icons that appear on the left of the actual space you type in. Most people have a hard time finding this and most don't even know it exists, lol! It should be simple and quickto change between speaking in private and speaking to those outside the group! Perhaps a key on the keyboard that is the equivilant of the "R" key when responding to people texting you. Maybe "P" for a "Private" response to your group and "O" for an "Outside" response to people outside the group.

Next, Eliminate the need to have the text box open to speak privately in a group.

To do this, I would suggest keeping the text bubbles just as they are in "Un-grouped chat", only change the color of the bubble to one specific color that would tell the users that they are speaking in private. This would save a HUGE amount of time in pvp as everyone can talk just like a normal conversation. It would also, be so much more pleasant to talk in a questing group that is trying to speak about private things.

If these changes were made, the "group" option would be much more user friendly!

Thanks for the constant attempts to improve the game KI. I really appreciate it!

Survivor
Dec 19, 2009
26
The reason I don't use Group, and am sure this goes for most people, is the lack of communication method.

Once you join a group it;

1. Changes your chat method to group chat, which becomes annoying if you forget that.

2. Doesn't notify you of incoming messages like bubble chat or side panel chat from Text Messages.

3. Most people don't know that it reserves a spot in matches.

Survivor
Dec 21, 2009
15
I do use group chat quite a bit. I use it when farming (especially in stormriven) to insure my partner gets in. I also use group in PvP, 3v3 and 4v4 especially.

The one thing I don't like about group is the need to swith between group and public with the mouse. I would much prefer if there was a keyboard shortcut (ex. Ctrl) and would allow you to switch between group and public, much like R allows you to respond to a friend. Pushing Ctrl would take you out of group if you were in group or back in group if you were out of group, allowing people to still communicate without the annoyance for clicking the tiny buttons (Especially those of us who use laptops).

Defender
Aug 15, 2009
164
The group feature is nice in that when you are in a dungeon and some one has to flee and come back when they are defeated prevents some one else from porting in on some one and leaving one of the origional people out the rest of the dungeon. The only thing that is distracting is the chat feature is confusing so i dont use the group feature other than in a dungeon.

Survivor
Dec 12, 2009
7
omg i hate it when people are standing around the bosses when your trying to do a quest!!!!! Like this one guy in Dragonsypre is so crowded that i couldn't fight him for 30 min. I think that grouping is very helpful. :)
Cori Firegem lvl 47

Survivor
Nov 12, 2010
34
I don't use group for the same reasons stated here by others. One of the main reasons i will chime in as the chatting needs to be addressed.

I have a suggestion as to make grouping a more useful addition to the game, and that is a simple icon that displays whenever a member of your group enters combat. This icon could allow those within the group to instantly teleport (by way of just clicking) to the reserved spot within the combat circle and make it so that the group members don't have to keep close tabs on each other when one goes astray. This would help immensely with quests spread out over large areas and for keeping tabs on a group member accidentally "pulled into" a battle.

The teleport could only be done if your NOT in combat currently thus giving you an easy way out. If two separate members enter different battles the icon would disappear so as not to confuse the player.

Just a thought i had ;)

Delver
Sep 18, 2009
258
I use it in pvp and i accutually find it quite easy by the way. And i use it in dungeons so people far away can hear me.

Survivor
Jan 17, 2011
38
Actually my friend and I have been playing the game together since I began. We both started wizards at the same time and we do every mission together. In fact we set up computers side by side in my house so when we pvp or any other mission we can communicate through voice. It is a great experience and it is also nice to tailor our decks to each other for the perfect combination.

You can find us... Dylan Daydreamer (me) and Alex Daydreamer.

Survivor
Dec 24, 2008
3
Personally I mainly use grouping only in pvp and Dungeons where everyone seems to get spread out. In my opionion I hate how the text only appears in the text box and not the bubble, during battles it's hard to keep checking that darn box and pay attation to whats going on. Prehaps a little notification exclamation point or something similar could pop up when someone says something? And another idea, on the map, could we get arrows for other members of the group or maybe just people in a dungeon together in general? Oh well, I know you guys will make ood changes.

~matt
p.s. can't wait for Wintertusk!!

Delver
Feb 25, 2010
296
I don't do grouping much. My friends are spread out all over the Spiral doing their own quests, so unless we have a difficult dungeon or boss to defeat, I mostly solo. When it comes to group chat, I have only used that once or twice. It's better just to regular chat for me.

Defender
Feb 28, 2011
172
I get a bit confused and annoyed with group chat because if someone else i'm helping in a fight says something in open chat, i auto reply with enter button and it ends up going to the group chat, not the person intended, then my group ppl are confused. lol.

I'm all for group fights, tho like everyone else i'm not thrilled with more enemies joining in if more wizards come in, unless I need to have a high # of this particular enemy for a quest. But I think group battles is the best way to get quests done faster and easier, tho i'm finding that it's taking me extra long to level up because I will leave a quest to help a fellow wizard who yells for help lol. I've done sunken city various times by doing this lol. A fellow player said 'you wont get anywhere doing that all the time' I said 'I know but how do you not go help someone, lol' It's too hard for me to refuse to go help someone unless i'm stuck in a battle or helping someone else deeply in need of an entire quest help like sunken city. You all know you cant get thru sunken city without at least one friend by your side lol.

Delver
Aug 10, 2009
228
I think that grouping is very enoying, because if you want to port to one place and your friend wants to port to a different place, you HAVE to go to their port location. Once again it's VERY anoying.

Sorry about the negativity, but it's true.:|

Survivor
Sep 01, 2008
20
I use group to Pvp, in a team of 2 or more. If it's a really crowded area, I might use it, but it's hard cuz I cant see the messages obe people and don't always look down at the Chat history. I also use it in instences such as Brisk- and Warehouse, so if we get seperated, and we arent friends, we can talk

1