Imagine the following situation: You are playing a "required" class, like cleric or enchanter, or tank. You log in, and plan to have a nice session of say 2-3h. You get into a good group, exp flows, everyone's happy. Then you look at the clock and see that it's high time for you to log. What will you do?
1) Just say "Sorry guys, got to go" and leave.
2) Try to find a replacement (of course, if there's one, great! You're done :)
2a) If there's none, hang on until you find one.
2b) If there's none, hang on until you fine one, with a given time limit (how long?).
2c) If there's none, just say "Sorry guys, got to go" and leave anyway.
3) Ignore the clock!
4) You never get into this situation, because you don't play "required" classes!
It's annoying playing one of those classes, and then seeing that the group will likely fall apart if you have to leave. I usually try to keep the clock in mind, and will announce fairly early that I have maybe an hour or whatever left, and try to find a replacement. If that fails however, I will leave at my target time.
I tend to play a healer, and I'm currently leaning towards cleric for Pantheon, and personally I follow option 2 in the order you have described to the best of my ability (sometimes something urgent comes up to which option 1 is really the only option, but I usually try to explain that something came up and I HAD to leave). I can honestly say that I really don't mind when other "required" roles choose option 1 and just leave, people have lives :P I don't really mind waiting for my group to search for a replacement.
Also, option 3 is a good one too xP (except before work).
You wonder what's worse.
Taking (and a priori) for granted that there are """required classes"""? And as such, second citizen classes as well? Without even considering what this entails, or why it should be so in the first place?
Or the fact that all your planning (you are a grown up individual, this is Pantheon after all), and the guild's planning aside, you still cannot pigeonhole a two hour window for yourself?
I choose the former :)
Well, Pantheon groups will be formed around the Holy Quaternity, so yeah, there will be classes that are essential/required in groups. You could also say required roles if you prefer. I don't think that's taking things for granted, its a simple result of the game design.
If the game follows VG approach (of archetype roles), there will be no "second class" citizens. That's what I'm hoping for personally, also because it should much lessen the problem from my OP (that it can be difficult to find a replacement if only one class has a specific role like in EQ).
Good grouping 'etiquette' would be to give the group a head's up in advance and try to find a replacement during that time. But this isn't the gospel, if you have to leave you have to leave and nobody should fault you for that. I know I wouldn't. Then again, a player will get the bad reputation of just bailing out on groups if they never try to help the group in this scenario.
I like to let the group know around 15-20 minutes early that I have to leave and then I also work on finding a replacement for me while hoping the group is also.
My schedule, on weeknights is pretty rigid. I'm off at 10:30pm, period (at 45 this old man needs his sleep for work in the early AM). At 10 I tell group Im out in 30 and looking for a rep, they should look too in guild etc. At 10:30 I say good night. I do the same regardless, 30 min warning, then Im out. Of course being a monk on Phinigel it's real easy to find a rep heh.
Garmr~
Garmr said:My schedule, on weeknights is pretty rigid. I'm off at 10:30pm, period (at 45 this old man needs his sleep for work in the early AM). At 10 I tell group Im out in 30 and looking for a rep, they should look too in guild etc. At 10:30 I say good night. I do the same regardless, 30 min warning, then Im out. Of course being a monk on Phinigel it's real easy to find a rep heh.
Garmr~
I typically do this. Communication is key here. Let people know what your plan is and if they can run with that. If not then find another group. I am a big fan of the first social network and that is actually speaking with people.
Ox