I've done a few fleet actions (edit: I meant Deep Space Encounters) so far and they've been great fun. Usually I can send out invites to a few people a have a group of 3-4 ships working together, which helps immensely. Even if we're not talking it's a lot easier to monitor your teammates' icons (the green ones) on the radar to be sure you're pursuing the same ships.
Yet I also keep encountering people who warp in and have invites turned off, which puzzles me. I know a lot of ST fans have been dragged into the MMO thing kicking and screaming, but guys: give it a chance. It's so easy to form fleets and so much more fun working together, and in 10 mins everyone goes their own way, so it's not like there's an obligation to be someone's leveling buddy or whatever.
This game makes it so easy to play with others on the fly, why not leave your comfort zone a little...at least when you're doing a mission designed for groups!
Comments
Oops. I should have said Deep Space Encounters instead of fleet actions (I'm getting the two confused.)
It's not a blind invite. Everyone is in the DSE to do the same mission (the one I was playing last night is called Wandering Klingons or whatever). If I pop off 3-4 invites and people immediately accept, and there's one guy who can't take invites, I'm not going to ask everyone to hold up so I can hold a convo with the Lone Ranger.
I've never messed with the loot options so I can't comment on that, but really, having more people open to grouping would help alleviate the instanced and isolated feel of STO at times.
Oh.. that's different.
BTW: I miss having group chat from LOTRO and DDO. I accept blind invites there, simple to talk to decide it good group or not. Then drop to decline, if needed.
Besides, it's not really needed to get the job done. All of the fleet actions, deep space encounters whatever, I've been in, it wasn't necessary to group.
I purposefully do not group with anyone except a few close friends (and those only occasionally). I've been playing MMO's for quite a few years and the one thing I've learned is that I don't like the majority of people that play them. I'm there for the content, the game itself, and as I said, my close friends, not to meet people.