I was playing Terraria with my buddies, but they were a bit behind, so I started a solo game and finished it. When I went back to our group play, I didn’t use my advanced gear and only used what they had access to. I did have extra boss summons, which I shared to help the team. Once they found out I’d finished the game on my own, three of them lost interest and haven’t come back in over a week, claiming it’s because I’ve already explored and completed the game.
This isn’t the first time. In Pax Dei, I mined extra resources but a friend who wanted to be a blacksmith quit because my progress seemed to overshadow theirs. I don’t understand why my extra efforts end up discouraging them. Isn’t having more resources helpful for everyone? Why does one player’s progress seem to spoil the fun for others?
5 Answers
For some players, gaming is about the shared journey, not just completing tasks or getting loot. When you ran ahead and finished everything on your own, it shifted the experience from exploration to just getting items for everyone else. They probably wanted to uncover the surprises and challenges as a group but felt you were leading the pack instead of walking alongside them. Next time, maybe consider playing something else solo until everyone’s back.
Your friends might feel that by finishing the game alone, you’ve essentially skipped ahead, and in doing so, you’ve taken the novelty and discovery away from the group experience. It’s a bit like fast forwarding to the end of a movie nobody has seen but you. They wanted to all play as equals, and knowing that you’ve already finished might make them feel like they’re just following in your footsteps rather than blazing a trail together.
It sounds like your friends wanted a shared adventure where everyone’s on equal footing in terms of experience and discoveries. When you finished the game solo, it might have made them feel like their journey was pre-determined by your experience. Exploring together often means figuring things out without someone who already knows the best path or strategy.
From their perspective, your progression without them possibly turned what was meant to be a collaborative effort into more of a guided tour. Even if you weren’t actively spoiling content, the mere knowledge that someone has already done everything can dampen others’ enthusiasm to explore.
I’ve been there, and it really just takes away the ‘wow’ factor from the game experience.
The fun is often in the exploration and struggle. When you’re the one leading with advanced knowledge and gear, it can feel like they’re just along for the ride rather than actively partaking. Maybe hold off completing the game solo if you’ve started it as a group to maintain the excitement for everyone.
Yeah, it’s like when someone reads the book and then tells you everything that’s gonna happen next chapter. It’s just not as fun when the mystery is missing.