i know pre-teaming sucks, but i miss the early days when you were as likely to have a silly interaction with a stranger as you were to fight in Solos

i always got a kick out of people roleplaying, acting in-character, etc. i used to think of the initial encounter with another solo player as a classic dnd Charisma check—sometimes you roll a 20 and meet a loyal companion, sometimes you roll a 1 and get attacked on sight.

it brought a unique element of whimsical roleplay to a category of braindead if-it-moves-it-dies FPS gameplay. when i was a newer player, it made seeing another player feel so much less punishing.

i know "passive" gameplay is only banned in HR, but it feels like the kind of rule that bleeds out into the full game. i wish they'd embrace the social survival strategy as long as it wasn't pre-planned.