Alliance Opinions

[Triia]

We need to decide where we stand on alliances as a guild and I'd like to hear everyone's opinion. Please post your feelings on:

Large (five or more, I guess) or small alliance?
How badly do you want to hold a outpost/town?
How do you feel about grinding faction?
How do you feel about having a new group(s) to interact/quest/PvP with?
Alliances in general

This is a decision that will affect the entire guild so I want to hear from everyone. If there is something else you feel should be addressed add it to your post.
________________________________

My opinions:
Size: Small, 3 or 4 guilds
Holding a town or out post: Might be interesting but it's not a priority for me
Grind: *shudder* ....please, no.....
New people: Becoming involved with other guilds will certainly make things more complicated, but if we can find groups that have the same interests as us it might work out well. One of the biggest benefits I can see would be to have some reliable partners to do unrated GvG with and practice new builds. I'd be concerned about teaming up with a smaller guild that constantly wants to "borrow" HLR members to fill out their ranks.
Alliances in general: I'm curious but wary. I can't quite get past my introverted nature and the idea of teaming up with several groups of completely new people makes me want to go hide in a dark corner somewhere. Malae, I know you'll be a big help, being our current representative extrovert, but with my title there's no way I can hide from our responsibilities in the alliance. At the same time, finding a group of fun people to ally with would add a whole new dimension to the game and could be a great thing.

[norm]

Before Factions came out, I was all for trying to get a huge alliance and trying to hold an outpost etc etc.

Then I saw how it was actually implemented and didnt find holding an outpost that interesting. And the grind for faction...yargh! Most alliances don't stand a chance in competing with the top grind guilds, so really why bother? It's almost a waste to donate faction to an alliance that will never hold an outpost. I think most people share my opinion on the forums as well.

I dont mind interaction with new people from other guilds though. As long as they don't love gnomes. Or snuggling.

[Kaiser]

I still fail to see the purpose of an alliance other than holding an outpost. The only things I have seen/been told are a new group of people and unrated GvG/other PvP. We can get a new/bigger group of people by recruiting, and we have done unrated GvG (remember HERO?) and HA (N I C K E L was cool) in the past without having an alliance. This is not to say I am against having an alliance. I just don't get it. However if we are to have an alliance, here is my opinion:

Size: doesn't matter
Outpost/Town: the only benefit to having an alliance that I can see (correct me if I'm wrong)
Grind: not just no...
New People: I agree with Triia on the complicating factor of more people. That being said, I really don't have a problem with extra people, as long as they don't bug me too much
Alliances: I am curious to see if there really is any benefit to HLR or my personal gameplay. I joined HLR because it opened up more options for me in terms of GvG, and it gave me an outlet for my ideas. I don't see that improving much in an alliance, but that doesn't mean it won't. I will just have to wait and see.

[Logo]

So judging from what others have said, here are the supposed benefits of joining an alliance, and what I think of them:

1.) Taking towns, elite missions, etc.
In a small alliance, we'd have to grind so much the end result just wouldn't be worth it. In a big alliance, our contributions would be so insignificant, I'd feel rather empty about our supposed "victory". So why not just let the philanthropic alliances take the towns, and get a ride into the elite content with them?

2.) Meeting new people!
According to the personality tests we did earlier, I'm the most introverted person in this guild. What that means in terms of this game is that I'd rather make a few truly meaningful friendships than run around being superficially acquainted with everyone. So though I really do like meeting new people, I only have so much time to play, and I'd prefer to pour it into this guild.

3.) A resevoir of players to use for activities
It could be very handy. But I see two problems with it.

First, I think that GvGing and such with members of other guilds just isn't as meaningful. I love seeing a landscape of HLR capes, and the feeling of comradery that comes with it. Grabbing mercenaries from other guilds would just take away some of that guild pride, at least for me. (Besides, if we recruit as many members as we're hoping for, who needs alliance members to fill our ranks?)

Second, and probably more importantly, if they do favors for us, we're going to have to do favors for them. Now, I have no problem with helping others. But I would NEVER want to see our guild's best interest compromised in the name of serving our alliance. As I said earlier, I don't like to spread myself too thin, and furthermore, I find GvGing with other guilds utterly soulless. There's no pride.

4.) Unrated GvGs
I honestly can't find anything bad to say about this one. Sure, we did it before with HERO, but it would be so much easier to plan unrateds with an alliance.

5.) Organized Alliance Battles?? ;D
Right now, these don't exist. But frankly, I find it downright idiotic that they don't. So if a.net ever adds them, this feature alone would sell me on an alliance.

I really wish I could be more decisive, but it seems to me that there are as many benefits as there are disadvantages. Personally, I wish alliances didn't exist at all. With the advantages we're looking at, it's almost just a more formalized shell thrown over the same type of relationship that we had with Hero, complete with more annoyances and responsibility. (But at least we get to use gold text!) I'm just going to have to put myself down for an overwhelming "meh".

Overall Alliance Rating:

[Malae]

Size: Small
Holding a town/outpost: Could care less, not worth the effort needed.
How do you feel about grinding faction: I've done it already for amber, it sucks.
New people: I'd love to have new people to play with, but that's my extrovert acting up. I know most people around here are introverts and I see where you're coming from, it's just hard for me to understand.
Alliances in general: I am definately for an alliance. I do not feel the only reason to have an alliance is to hold towns. I think having another group of people around (yet still seperate) is beneficial because we can do unrated GvG's. We can borrow members from eachother for GvG/HA. While this is possible, it's in no way obligated. If there's nobody interested then no members will have to be lent on either side. Toughen up and say "No" if you don't want to and then there won't be any obligation. I also don't think having 1 or 2 people guesting for us if we are short members detracts from the experience. It is of course better to have your own players so you can become better as a group, but if there are not enough, then why sacrifice an entire night of GvG because we're short a person?

I know these goals can be achieved by recruiting. However I for one do not want a large guild with tons of people. An alliance would allow us to do these things without actually having to have too many people in the guild.

I know there are people in this guild, myself included, who may want more GvG/HA experience and maybe want to do it more than the rest of the guild. If an alliance partner were doing GvG and needed someone to fill in, these people can hop on and enjoy themselves.

I would want a casual alliance where partners would be around our size, our mentality and our skill level on both PvE and PvP.

All this being said, if we choose not to ally, I would not be unhappy. I'm happy the way we are now. However, I would like to at least try it.

[Jupiter]

Size: Small to Medium, but not opposed to becoming large in the long run.
Holding a town or out post: I would love to, but I think that the grinders out there have killed that opportunity for casual players. I am patient though so we'll see what the future holds.
Grind: In the idyllic GW world that I think the devs had in mind, it should never exist and it doesn't in my world.
New people: Bring 'em on. I am finding that meeting all these people we've been recruiting and befriending has been a lot less overwhelming than I thought it would be. Somehow, through standard options of characters and voice chat each individual's personality comes through and they've all been great additions. That, and it is nice to see such a list of online guildies almost any time I log on. Too bad there isn't an alliance roster list.
Alliances in general: Sometimes it takes me awhile to get warmed up to a new idea, like joining a guild with strangers . I think alliances will turn out to be fun and useful. Unfortunately, I cannot specify how they will be fun and useful until we get into one and experience it. Alliances are not binding contractual agreements, I say we try one and if we want to go back to being just us because we are the only sane people out there (that thought has crossed our minds before hasn't it?) then so be it. At least we will have given it a shot.

EDIT: Hmm, other ways of accessing Elite Missions??
www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3035132

[somefool]

Size:As many as possible, but within a 500 people limit.
Holding a town or outpost:Do I smell grind?
Grind:Sadly enough, I might do this to get the title for giving faction to alliance.
New people:They get rid of my survivor title and they are dead! Take my drive away is a no no!
Alliances in general:Needs more people to start more PvP events. BTW, have each alliance take a different hall, this will allow for some unique and different gameplay (geting sick of all the same d**n halls!).

Annoucement without a sticky? What on earth...

[goingincognito]

Large (five or more, I guess) or small alliance? I'd rather small to medium. I'm also mostly introverted and would really MUCH rather play with HLR members that I know and have talked with on Vent than random people. Having a smaller alliance would keep the casual feel that I really enjoy without putting any pressures on me to "do stuff". I'd really like if a priority in our search for an alliance is that the alliance is on the same wavelength as us. Also, keep in mind that no matter what, I want to make sure that HLR doesn't loose their identity. I don't want to endlessly give of myself to an alliance. Maybe I'm wrong in feeling it, but HLR should be the #1 priority, with alliance being #2. Besides, the larger the alliance the greater the chance that there are people that we just don't get along with. I think I was being rather incoherent...can anyone make sense of what I said? Basically I agree with many of the other posters
How badly do you want to hold a outpost/town? It would be really cool, but let's be honest here; It'll be damn difficult to do so. It's much easier to get a free ride with one of the friendly alliances that holds those towns/outposts. It will take hundreds of thousands of faction, if not more, to hold an elite mission area. If we get into an alliance large enough to do so we'd be compromising our style and atmosphere.
How do you feel about grinding faction? I don't like grind.
How do you feel about having a new group(s) to interact/quest/PvP with? This is a good thing, IMHO. But again, it's quality over quantity. HLR comes first, and barring that I'd like a quality set of other people to play with. It's like an extended friends list
Alliances in general? Eh, the whole idea is nice, but...Ya know, it's all kinda "meh". Maybe in time it'll get better

[drumheller]

Even though I haven't been around long, I thought I might give me opinion.

Size: Small. It seems as if I'm like most other people in this guild, in that I am an introvert. I have dealt with large guilds in other games, and it becomes somewhat burdensome at times, and can get very unorganized.
Town/Outpost: Honestly, I could care less, and from what I'm hearing here it wouldn't be worth it.
Grind: No idea yet, but I doubt I would enjoy it (I had enough "grinding" for money in FFXI, as I played one of the most expensive classes).
Alliances in General: I can see the good in having a larger group of people to help out and do things with, but if recruiting continues to bring in more people, would there really be a need for an alliance?
Final thoughts: I can definitely see the positives of being in an alliance, but I could only see us fitting into a casual alliance. The problem with a "casual" alliance is that many guilds do not really screen their incoming members nearly as well as HLR does (though I ponder about my screening ). Anyways, those are my thoughts.

[Delor]

Size: 4-6 guilds similar to ours
Outposts: I doubt we could if we tried, not that we aren't great, just we dont have the numbers
Grind: I could grind in alliance battles, but faction farming quests gets boring
Fresh Meat: Sounds good. I'd enjoy having new members/allies to play with. Then they too can witness my greatness and tell tales of my many heroic deeds.
General: I want an alliance much like us, so if say a certain group of slackers is still back in say...whatever is after naphui, and I am much farther, I can still get a guild-ish group to do missoins with (hypothetically of course ;D). Some more experienced HA members would be nice as well because as Malae said, some of us would like to get better at that.

Ok so now I've rambled for a while, so you know what my opinion is, and let's face it, my opinion must be right or I wouldn't have thunk it.

[Una]

Size: Small to Medium
Holding a town or out post: Sounds interesting, but not something that is important to me
Grind: Umm...not really sure what this is, but from what I can gather, it doesn't sound like a good idea
New people: It's always fun to meet new people, but I think we can do that without forming alliances
Alliances in general: Really don't have an opinion one way or the other. I think there are benefits to them, but I also think there are benefits to continuing to do things the way we have been.

[sybarite]

Large (five or more, I guess) or small alliance?

I thought size didn't matter. Another lie exposed!
Honestly I think any alliance size could work. I played Dark Age of Camelot (DAoC) and we had an alliance of guilds that equaled having several hundred players allied and it worked out really well. I must note that the dynamics of that game were completely different though. If you're curious I'd be more than happy to elaborate, preferably on vent where my poor typing skills won't be so taxed.
Bottom line on size though, as far as I'm concerned, is that I think any size could work.

How badly do you want to hold a outpost/town?
I'm not fully aware of the benefits of holding an outpost. However, I'm certain that the mechanics in place would require something akin to work to maintain access, and I'm not here for another job, I'm here for some fun. I think we're better off having Malae flash some leg with the uber alliances that are already doing the 'work' so we can check out the benefits.
In short, I don't wantto hold an outpost badly at all.

How do you feel about grinding faction?
If I liked grinding content in a game I'd still be in CoV....or Lineage II (why oh why did I buy that game?!). Please refer to my 'work' comments above. Any sort of grinding in an MMO gets a big thumbs down from me.

How do you feel about having a new group(s) to interact/quest/PvP with?
I think this would be great. I'm focussed on getting to know my new guildmates right now. Once I do that I think it would be great if we had a larger population of like minded players to play with. The key, as has been mentioned already, is finding an alliance composed of like minded guilds. I have no suggetions currently for how to do that.

Alliances in general
I'm fairly ambivalent. An alliance could be a boon, it could be a huge hassle, it'll probably fall somewhere in between. It will undoubtedly require some maintainance from the guild leadership. I think it's critical for the guild to be solid first, so we can stay solid. I'm a member of the latest recruitment crop and I think it's a good idea to give the guild a couple weeks, at least, to have a chance to mix it up together and get the new members acquainted with the guild culture before we throw an alliance into the mix. Maybe that will be a good window of time to try and look around and find an alliance of like minded folks that we can join.

[Jupiter]

After playing so long (well, it seems long) without an alliance and now that they've opened alliance chat to all, I'm glad it's just us. I've seen a lot of posts about people griping about their alliances. I still think we may find a few good guilds but I'm in no hurry.

[Delor]

I think we should be able to find an ally sometime soon. I know we've just broken into the whole HA thing, and some of you go to bed earlier than certain other members who hate PUG's. Maybe one other small guild that does some HA (and of course the other types of playing) would be a good start. Of course there would have to be some trial-runs to do a quick anti-tard check, but assuming they pass I think this is all I really want out of an alliance at the moment. I don't want a bigger guild, because it would suck to be the member who's left out of the HA fun and that will be the case unless we recruit enough players we can have 16 PvPers online at once, and that's just not HLR.

If you feel that I'm wrong about this and that I should just make a pretty friends list like the others, I'd almost agree with you. But really all this is just us making a couple new friends that can talk to us in fancy gold-speak. Besides, we might even find some additional skilled players to do FoC (and hopefully other builds) with.

[goingincognito]

Yeah, I'd like to keep it relatively small as well. However, if the right alliance came along that would enhance our play experience I'd be for it. Honestly, I'm not sure how I'd feel about sharing some of our builds with anyone other than HLR, though. I put a lot of time and effort into figuring things out, and it certainly gives us the edge if we're the only ones who know the specifics of a certain build for as long as possible.