HI folks,
I've noticed a real spike in people abusing the penalty system for the past two years and I'd like to adress it with you.
In case you can't tell what I'm talking about, allow me to elaborate:
Usually one player queues as a highly requested role (Tank or Support) to skip the long queue time and as soon as they realize that the random queue didn't assign them to their preferred dungeon, they ask the group to kick them and immediately teleport outside to avoid combat. Holding the other three people hostage and putting extra pressure on them by actively leaving the group activity queued as
THE required role to even run it in the first place.
In hopes of getting kicked so they won't receive a leaving penalty. -
Really not that great.
Meanwhile the remaining group will receive the penalty instead as they are forced to find a new tank, adding further frustration by knowing that the guy who caused all this won't have to deal with any such thing at all. - I don't think that's fair. Currently, it rewards people who abuse the system and adds to the other players misery.
If it happens once or twice, I'd note it down as the 1% of players who just happen to have missed out on common decency handouts. But depending on the time of day I intend to farm my pledges or hunt down some monster mask style pages, it happens dozens of times during multiple dungeon runs.
Things become incredibly frustrating if joining the random queue holds a chance of running into "Kick Me"-people one may calculate by now.
I think it's out of question, that this behaviour is not intended by the developers. But also, that it's quite difficult to develop a system that won't allow players to abuse and being a nuisance to the rest of the community. So here's my proposal:
Once a player joins the queue and gets teleported into a dungeon, the game will monitor their presence and active partition in combat in a very simple form - > Measuring time.
As soon as said player teleports out of the dungeon and stays outside or does not participate in ongoing combat for a certain amount of time (which the developers of course won't specify and share with the community), the player will be automatically removed from the group and receive the same penalty as if they'd left.
A penalty that works account wide.
That's harsh, why account wide?
Well, if a player simply has a disconnect and ends up being removed, they'd have to face a waiting time of less than 10 minutes. It's annoying, sure. But it's not the end of the world and they'll be free to rejoin the queue once the timer runs out. It's a short-time annoyance caused by an automatic system.
But it's not a long lasting penalty since they don't intend to repetively disconnect for a longer duration of time, let alone run a dungeon if they can't keep a steady connection.
Same goes for people who suddenly have to attend something in the background and cannot continue playing because of it. Crying babies, cat knocked over the coffee mug, you name it.
Things that won't surprise you and stop you from running the dungeon on a daily basis unless you force for it to happen, boast out "I don't care for the others" and queue anyways.
BUTA player that deliberately holds a group hostage and refuses to partake in a fight by teleporting outside, will still be faced with the same penalty if they just relogg to another character in hopes of escaping it. - As many people also keep doing currently now.
Not only will they not be able to abuse the system, but they also won't see repeating such behaviour as lucrative since the pentaly will keep stacking as it does already on the same character.
So they might just consider actively queuing for the dungeon they hope to get or not queue at all if they cannot show the minimal amount of respectful behaviour when it comes to group activities. Yes, they won't receive transmute crystals if they don't join the random queue. On the other hand, other people will be able to enjoy the random queue if they don't have to suffer from self-centered people abusing the system. So why worry about the abusers rewards? Exactly.
Thanks for reading this text wall.
Have a nice day.
Except for the yet another tank that just teleported out of my dungeon because the queue didn't assign him to Fungal Grotto I
Go grab your friends if you can't stand a 'No', you waddling tuskless disappointment.