6 - 1 Solo'ers in DAOC

Dark Age of Camelot (DAOC) is a MMORPG akin to more popular titles like Everquest and World of Warcraft, but with a greater focus on player verse player (pvp) type interaction between three realms of opposing forces. The server on which I played (Bossiney) consisted of large player verse environment arenas (pve) unique to each realm and another large pvp map (the Frontiers) accessible by all realms. Within the player community and throughout the various servers certain groups of players with similar play styles would begin to crop up. There were the relaxed sets that prefered player verse environment (pve) affairs, the casual pvp gamers, the hardcore 8v8 pvp groups, and a community of solo pvp'ers. Each group of gamers with their particular playstyles held their unique views on how the game should be played and proper conduct between players both within their realm (their "allies") and in enemy realms. There were frequent clashes between playstyles within the shared space of the Frontiers.

Near the end of my playing days I most often frequented within the circle of solo pvp'ers. These were perhaps a set of the most "hardcore" gamers that played in DAOC and held the most stringent of conduct requirements for proper pvp encounters. Players frequently these circle and playstyle became known amongst the community through play and contact via various communication forms including game chat, public forms, Ventrilo, and IRC. By publicly acknowledging one another and being known by ones character name, players would become visually non-anonymous. Further, by conforming to the ruleset practiced and frequently interacting with players following the same playing patterns, strong and salient group identities would form. According to the SIDE theory, this would create an impetus for conformity amongst players. Primary to their beliefs were that all fights should be held on equal grounds. That is to say all fights were to occur one player verse one player, without adding into fights. There were additional rules delegating proper conduct upon "vulturing" or killing somebody just after they fought but before they had a chance to heal and or when to engage if additional hostile, non-solo players were in the area that would likely add onto the fight. Lastly, it was commonly established that if one's fight was added upon both members, if possible would turn on the adder to kill him/her or cease the fight to allow one player the chance to kill the add. Anyone violating these constructs were subject to Wallace's Leviathan-- the forces of social behavior that serve to keep everyone conforming to established standards of conduct. In the case of DAOC and the solo players community, the Leviathan came in various forms.

Within the game there were various levels of chat that players could communicate across. Local Area Chat, Private Messaging, Group Chat, Guild Chat, Battlegroup Chat, Alliance Chat, and Private Chat Groups. If a solo'er found another solo player to be violating the strict standard of no-adding, what Wallace would refer to as a "raised eyebrow" would come in the form of a private message or local area chat rebuke informing the adder he or she had done wrong. However, chat could only occur amongst members of the same realm, so other means of communication were used for cross-realm communication. Most commonly hostile posts made on the IGN Network forums dedicated to DAOC would occur when one player had been wronged by another of the same realm. These displays served as more public and permanent "raised eyebrows" and would be used to build a negative reputation for the player violating the solo gamers' rulesets.

However, the Leviathan came in forms beyond simple messaging and chatter; and, continued on into the realm of forcible action. A known "adder" would be ganged up on by other solo'ers to demonstrate their disdain. If a solo'er witnessed a fight 2 verse 1, they would join the fray to attempt to save the player being double teamed regardless if he was ally or enemy. Further, if somebody had a negative reputation as an adder, he or she would often be reserved to a "KOS" or "Kill on Sight" form of encountering. While solo players were often forced to violate their own rules, in order to act as the Leviathan to other players, they deemed the temporary forgoance of rules a necessary evil to "preserve a productive online group environment" for future use in solo fighting.

What was perhaps most appealing about the solo community in DAOC were the positive forms of appraisal for proper conduct. If a player was well known to be a solo'er and generally have what would be considered an honorable record of play, he or she would receive positive reinforcement from realmmates and even opposing players via game chat and on the IGN boards. It would not be uncommon for two players to seek refuge in the game after a solo encounter and wrote posts to one another on the IGN Boards complimenting them on good fights or for helping one another turn on an adding player. Additionally, when a solo'er was seen observing fights rather than adding onto fights in progress "thank you for not adding" messages would be common, as well. While the Leviathan was present to ensure players violating the rules were punished, a set of common positive reinforcements garnered a greater ability to keep players conforming to the ruleset.