"Not be there" means not be in that area. It does not mean to log off. Or to have a lowbie character check the higher range to see if you have allies.

As to the rest, it's obvious the players are having more fun this way, otherwise they wouldn't do it. If you (or anyone else, myself included) does not like it, it's incumbent on you to contrive situations where you can have the types of fights you prefer.

And yes, with many of my characters I prefer one on one fights. So I would do what I could to engineer them. The complaints I am hearing now, it seems, are from those who cannot handle the fights whether alone or in groups. I don't think it's less fun now, in that regard, because of the game. I think it's because of the players. It is entirely player driven. Requests like the one which started this thread are an attempt to make the game mechanics change to reflect a minority (if anyone) who wants to do something that the majority does not. That is so becasue if the players wanted only equal fights, they would fight that way. People would say "no" when asked to join up to hunt. People would flee if they found themselves in a gang. People would hunt other people who gang. But they don't. Because the way it is reflects player desires.

Now, if you wanted to make a way for someone to ensure a one on one fight without changing everything else, you could just advocate making force duel a universal player ability. But I don't see that happening.