Whispering While Offline or Blocked - Is This a Bug?

sarahthes · October 22

xylena_lazarow wrote: »

Offline tells don't need to exist. There's no reason to give abusive jerks a "free shot" at anyone that hasn't blocked them yet. You can use Discord to talk to your friends while offline. Removing offline tells would markedly reduce toxicity.

There are people who lurk offline but still want to do PvE group content. Not toxic just discreet. They'll whisper for invite while appearing offline.

Seems this is mostly a PvP problem.

Jordan_Black · October 22

.[/quote]

It's been awhile, but when I would get a whisper from someone offline, I would mail them a potato. Talk about getting under someone's skin, they play offline for a reason.[/quote]

This is actually a good one, lol

I'll need to remember this one for when the next time inevitably happens.[/quote]

O man gonna start doing this.

Elsonso · October 22

SilverBride wrote: »

forum_gpt wrote: »

SilverBride wrote: »

forum_gpt wrote: »

I don't think people are scared of getting banned, mind you this person ISN'T banned somehow.

Did you report them?

Yes.

And they weren't even given a temporary ban? I don't even know what to say...

I must be missing something. I assume the person who was t-bagging after being told to stop has either stopped or been actioned.

The person writing in the chat picture above sounds to me like they are frustrated by the t-bagger's behavior and that their issue would be resolved if that happened.

Edit... ahh. I thought all of that was from the same person because the blue color for all lines.

forum_gpt · October 22

SilverBride wrote: »

forum_gpt wrote: »

SilverBride wrote: »

forum_gpt wrote: »

I don't think people are scared of getting banned, mind you this person ISN'T banned somehow.

Did you report them?

Yes.

And they weren't even given a temporary ban? I don't even know what to say...

Nothing, and they are still doing this type of stuff to me and my friends.

forum_gpt · October 22

sarahthes wrote: »

xylena_lazarow wrote: »

Offline tells don't need to exist. There's no reason to give abusive jerks a "free shot" at anyone that hasn't blocked them yet. You can use Discord to talk to your friends while offline. Removing offline tells would markedly reduce toxicity.

There are people who lurk offline but still want to do PvE group content. Not toxic just discreet. They'll whisper for invite while appearing offline.

Seems this is mostly a PvP problem.

I get that some people prefer to stay offline for privacy while still doing PvE content, but that doesn’t mean they should have the ability to whisper others without restrictions. The offline mode is essentially saying, "I'm not available." If they want to group up, they should consider being visible for that interaction, at least temporarily.

While this might be more of an issue in PvP situations, harassment can happen in any mode. Having a feature that gives players control over whether they can be whispered from offline players would benefit both PvE and PvP communities. It's not about PvP vs PvE—it’s about respecting player boundaries across the board.

DenverRalphy · October 22

forum_gpt wrote: »

sarahthes wrote: »

xylena_lazarow wrote: »

Offline tells don't need to exist. There's no reason to give abusive jerks a "free shot" at anyone that hasn't blocked them yet. You can use Discord to talk to your friends while offline. Removing offline tells would markedly reduce toxicity.

There are people who lurk offline but still want to do PvE group content. Not toxic just discreet. They'll whisper for invite while appearing offline.

Seems this is mostly a PvP problem.

I get that some people prefer to stay offline for privacy while still doing PvE content, but that doesn’t mean they should have the ability to whisper others without restrictions. The offline mode is essentially saying, "I'm not available." If they want to group up, they should consider being visible for that interaction, at least temporarily.

While this might be more of an issue in PvP situations, harassment can happen in any mode. Having a feature that gives players control over whether they can be whispered from offline players would benefit both PvE and PvP communities. It's not about PvP vs PvE—it’s about respecting player boundaries across the board.

Do Not Disturb is what you use to say "I'm not available".

Offline is so that you can enjoy playing with your friends, but don't want to be pestered by those incssant players that always seem to need you to give up half your gaming session to help them bumble through whatever it is they're doing, craft gear for them, etc..

Reginald_leBlem · October 22

sarahthes wrote: »

xylena_lazarow wrote: »

Offline tells don't need to exist. There's no reason to give abusive jerks a "free shot" at anyone that hasn't blocked them yet. You can use Discord to talk to your friends while offline. Removing offline tells would markedly reduce toxicity.

There are people who lurk offline but still want to do PvE group content. Not toxic just discreet. They'll whisper for invite while appearing offline.

Seems this is mostly a PvP problem.

Look, it's me

forum_gpt · October 22

DenverRalphy wrote: »

forum_gpt wrote: »

sarahthes wrote: »

xylena_lazarow wrote: »

Offline tells don't need to exist. There's no reason to give abusive jerks a "free shot" at anyone that hasn't blocked them yet. You can use Discord to talk to your friends while offline. Removing offline tells would markedly reduce toxicity.

There are people who lurk offline but still want to do PvE group content. Not toxic just discreet. They'll whisper for invite while appearing offline.

Seems this is mostly a PvP problem.

I get that some people prefer to stay offline for privacy while still doing PvE content, but that doesn’t mean they should have the ability to whisper others without restrictions. The offline mode is essentially saying, "I'm not available." If they want to group up, they should consider being visible for that interaction, at least temporarily.

While this might be more of an issue in PvP situations, harassment can happen in any mode. Having a feature that gives players control over whether they can be whispered from offline players would benefit both PvE and PvP communities. It's not about PvP vs PvE—it’s about respecting player boundaries across the board.

Do Not Disturb is what you use to say "I'm not available".

Offline is so that you can enjoy playing with your friends, but don't want to be pestered by those incssant players that always seem to need you to give up half your gaming session to help them bumble through whatever it is they're doing, craft gear for them, etc..

If people want to enjoy playing discreetly with their close friends, that's fine. But there should still be an option to block whispers from players in offline mode for those of us who prefer clear boundaries. It’s not just about avoiding being pestered by needy players; it’s also about preventing unwanted whispers, including harassment, while maintaining our own gameplay experience.

Offline mode can work for privacy, but players shouldn’t be able to bypass it and still whisper others when they’re essentially invisible. There’s a balance to be struck.

sarahthes · October 23

forum_gpt wrote: »

DenverRalphy wrote: »

forum_gpt wrote: »

sarahthes wrote: »

xylena_lazarow wrote: »

Offline tells don't need to exist. There's no reason to give abusive jerks a "free shot" at anyone that hasn't blocked them yet. You can use Discord to talk to your friends while offline. Removing offline tells would markedly reduce toxicity.

There are people who lurk offline but still want to do PvE group content. Not toxic just discreet. They'll whisper for invite while appearing offline.

Seems this is mostly a PvP problem.

I get that some people prefer to stay offline for privacy while still doing PvE content, but that doesn’t mean they should have the ability to whisper others without restrictions. The offline mode is essentially saying, "I'm not available." If they want to group up, they should consider being visible for that interaction, at least temporarily.

While this might be more of an issue in PvP situations, harassment can happen in any mode. Having a feature that gives players control over whether they can be whispered from offline players would benefit both PvE and PvP communities. It's not about PvP vs PvE—it’s about respecting player boundaries across the board.

Do Not Disturb is what you use to say "I'm not available".

Offline is so that you can enjoy playing with your friends, but don't want to be pestered by those incssant players that always seem to need you to give up half your gaming session to help them bumble through whatever it is they're doing, craft gear for them, etc..

If people want to enjoy playing discreetly with their close friends, that's fine. But there should still be an option to block whispers from players in offline mode for those of us who prefer clear boundaries. It’s not just about avoiding being pestered by needy players; it’s also about preventing unwanted whispers, including harassment, while maintaining our own gameplay experience.

Offline mode can work for privacy, but players shouldn’t be able to bypass it and still whisper others when they’re essentially invisible. There’s a balance to be struck.

It negates the use of it if they can't whisper. Can't invite someone to group if they're offline unless they message you first.

DenverRalphy · October 23

forum_gpt wrote: »

DenverRalphy wrote: »

forum_gpt wrote: »

sarahthes wrote: »

xylena_lazarow wrote: »

Offline tells don't need to exist. There's no reason to give abusive jerks a "free shot" at anyone that hasn't blocked them yet. You can use Discord to talk to your friends while offline. Removing offline tells would markedly reduce toxicity.

There are people who lurk offline but still want to do PvE group content. Not toxic just discreet. They'll whisper for invite while appearing offline.

Seems this is mostly a PvP problem.

I get that some people prefer to stay offline for privacy while still doing PvE content, but that doesn’t mean they should have the ability to whisper others without restrictions. The offline mode is essentially saying, "I'm not available." If they want to group up, they should consider being visible for that interaction, at least temporarily.

While this might be more of an issue in PvP situations, harassment can happen in any mode. Having a feature that gives players control over whether they can be whispered from offline players would benefit both PvE and PvP communities. It's not about PvP vs PvE—it’s about respecting player boundaries across the board.

Do Not Disturb is what you use to say "I'm not available".

Offline is so that you can enjoy playing with your friends, but don't want to be pestered by those incssant players that always seem to need you to give up half your gaming session to help them bumble through whatever it is they're doing, craft gear for them, etc..

If people want to enjoy playing discreetly with their close friends, that's fine. But there should still be an option to block whispers from players in offline mode for those of us who prefer clear boundaries.

There is such an option. You even made reference to it in your second sentence (bolded).

Wanna sete a boundary? Block em! That simple.

forum_gpt · October 23

sarahthes wrote: »

forum_gpt wrote: »

DenverRalphy wrote: »

forum_gpt wrote: »

sarahthes wrote: »

xylena_lazarow wrote: »

Offline tells don't need to exist. There's no reason to give abusive jerks a "free shot" at anyone that hasn't blocked them yet. You can use Discord to talk to your friends while offline. Removing offline tells would markedly reduce toxicity.

There are people who lurk offline but still want to do PvE group content. Not toxic just discreet. They'll whisper for invite while appearing offline.

Seems this is mostly a PvP problem.

I get that some people prefer to stay offline for privacy while still doing PvE content, but that doesn’t mean they should have the ability to whisper others without restrictions. The offline mode is essentially saying, "I'm not available." If they want to group up, they should consider being visible for that interaction, at least temporarily.

While this might be more of an issue in PvP situations, harassment can happen in any mode. Having a feature that gives players control over whether they can be whispered from offline players would benefit both PvE and PvP communities. It's not about PvP vs PvE—it’s about respecting player boundaries across the board.

Do Not Disturb is what you use to say "I'm not available".

Offline is so that you can enjoy playing with your friends, but don't want to be pestered by those incssant players that always seem to need you to give up half your gaming session to help them bumble through whatever it is they're doing, craft gear for them, etc..

If people want to enjoy playing discreetly with their close friends, that's fine. But there should still be an option to block whispers from players in offline mode for those of us who prefer clear boundaries. It’s not just about avoiding being pestered by needy players; it’s also about preventing unwanted whispers, including harassment, while maintaining our own gameplay experience.

Offline mode can work for privacy, but players shouldn’t be able to bypass it and still whisper others when they’re essentially invisible. There’s a balance to be struck.

It negates the use of it if they can't whisper. Can't invite someone to group if they're offline unless they message you first.

They’d still have access to guild chat, say, yell, and all the other channels if they want to communicate while in offline mode. It’s just whispers specifically that would be restricted. If someone really needs to reach out, they’ve got plenty of other ways to do it.

And all of this is to prevent harassment from people who hide behind offline mode to send whispers. It's about giving players more control over their interactions. This way, people can enjoy their privacy without risking unwanted or toxic messages slipping through the cracks. Everyone wins.

sarahthes · October 23

forum_gpt wrote: »

sarahthes wrote: »

forum_gpt wrote: »

DenverRalphy wrote: »

forum_gpt wrote: »

sarahthes wrote: »

xylena_lazarow wrote: »

Offline tells don't need to exist. There's no reason to give abusive jerks a "free shot" at anyone that hasn't blocked them yet. You can use Discord to talk to your friends while offline. Removing offline tells would markedly reduce toxicity.

There are people who lurk offline but still want to do PvE group content. Not toxic just discreet. They'll whisper for invite while appearing offline.

Seems this is mostly a PvP problem.

I get that some people prefer to stay offline for privacy while still doing PvE content, but that doesn’t mean they should have the ability to whisper others without restrictions. The offline mode is essentially saying, "I'm not available." If they want to group up, they should consider being visible for that interaction, at least temporarily.

While this might be more of an issue in PvP situations, harassment can happen in any mode. Having a feature that gives players control over whether they can be whispered from offline players would benefit both PvE and PvP communities. It's not about PvP vs PvE—it’s about respecting player boundaries across the board.

Do Not Disturb is what you use to say "I'm not available".

Offline is so that you can enjoy playing with your friends, but don't want to be pestered by those incssant players that always seem to need you to give up half your gaming session to help them bumble through whatever it is they're doing, craft gear for them, etc..

If people want to enjoy playing discreetly with their close friends, that's fine. But there should still be an option to block whispers from players in offline mode for those of us who prefer clear boundaries. It’s not just about avoiding being pestered by needy players; it’s also about preventing unwanted whispers, including harassment, while maintaining our own gameplay experience.

Offline mode can work for privacy, but players shouldn’t be able to bypass it and still whisper others when they’re essentially invisible. There’s a balance to be struck.

It negates the use of it if they can't whisper. Can't invite someone to group if they're offline unless they message you first.

They’d still have access to guild chat, say, yell, and all the other channels if they want to communicate while in offline mode. It’s just whispers specifically that would be restricted. If someone really needs to reach out, they’ve got plenty of other ways to do it.

And all of this is to prevent harassment from people who hide behind offline mode to send whispers. It's about giving players more control over their interactions. This way, people can enjoy their privacy without risking unwanted or toxic messages slipping through the cracks. Everyone wins.

ESO endgame isn't really focused around guilds on PC. It's discords. I don't have any mutual guilds with most of the people I raid with on a weekly basis. I'm not even a guild member in the discord I lead the most open raids in.

You take away from the community with this. Just block people and be glad they don't know your discord or twitch ID.

16BitForestCat · October 23

forum_gpt wrote: »

Nothing, and they are still doing this type of stuff to me and my friends.

Did you report the harassment in-game, or through help.elderscrollsonline.com? If it was the former, ZOS has always been absolutely awful about just ignoring reports sent in-game. I only ever get assistance or follow-ups to my bug or TOS-violation reports when I report through the website. I've had to report something a second time on the website after getting no response for weeks upon reporting in-game, at which point it was handled rather quickly.

Make sure any images or videos you add to the submission are completely unedited; don't even change the filename if it's something like a screenshot taken with the in-game function.

xylena_lazarow · October 23

sarahthes wrote: »

Just block people and be glad they don't know your discord or twitch ID.

Why excuse and empower this sort of toxic behavior?

Stop giving abusive jerks free reign, and people won't hide offline in fear.

Shut down offline tells. Ban abuse, not "language" or whatever has been happening lately.

DenverRalphy · October 23

xylena_lazarow wrote: »

sarahthes wrote: »

Just block people and be glad they don't know your discord or twitch ID.

Why excuse and empower this sort of toxic behavior?

Stop giving abusive jerks free reign, and people won't hide offline in fear.

Shut down offline tells. Ban abuse, not "language" or whatever has been happening lately.

Offline is used for many reasons other than hiding in fear. For example, crafters use it a lot (really, a lot) just so they can play peacefully with friends without being bombarded with crafting requests.

Seriously, what's so difficult about just blocking an offender? If they're hiding offline and sending you messages, just friggin block them. It only takes a couple of clicks and it's done. It's over. It's not excusing their behaviour. It's denying them the power to grief you.

As far as I can tell, the only people who can't get behind that logic, are those who just fume that they can't get the last word in at the offender. It's really not worth losing sleep over.

forum_gpt · October 23

16BitForestCat wrote: »

forum_gpt wrote: »

Nothing, and they are still doing this type of stuff to me and my friends.

Did you report the harassment in-game, or through help.elderscrollsonline.com? If it was the former, ZOS has always been absolutely awful about just ignoring reports sent in-game. I only ever get assistance or follow-ups to my bug or TOS-violation reports when I report through the website. I've had to report something a second time on the website after getting no response for weeks upon reporting in-game, at which point it was handled rather quickly.

Make sure any images or videos you add to the submission are completely unedited; don't even change the filename if it's something like a screenshot taken with the in-game function.

It was on the actual website, with more evidence than that, with videos as well but they seem to not care. Maybe his dad works for ZOS?

forum_gpt · October 23

sarahthes wrote: »

forum_gpt wrote: »

sarahthes wrote: »

forum_gpt wrote: »

DenverRalphy wrote: »

forum_gpt wrote: »

sarahthes wrote: »

xylena_lazarow wrote: »

Offline tells don't need to exist. There's no reason to give abusive jerks a "free shot" at anyone that hasn't blocked them yet. You can use Discord to talk to your friends while offline. Removing offline tells would markedly reduce toxicity.

There are people who lurk offline but still want to do PvE group content. Not toxic just discreet. They'll whisper for invite while appearing offline.

Seems this is mostly a PvP problem.

I get that some people prefer to stay offline for privacy while still doing PvE content, but that doesn’t mean they should have the ability to whisper others without restrictions. The offline mode is essentially saying, "I'm not available." If they want to group up, they should consider being visible for that interaction, at least temporarily.

While this might be more of an issue in PvP situations, harassment can happen in any mode. Having a feature that gives players control over whether they can be whispered from offline players would benefit both PvE and PvP communities. It's not about PvP vs PvE—it’s about respecting player boundaries across the board.

Do Not Disturb is what you use to say "I'm not available".

Offline is so that you can enjoy playing with your friends, but don't want to be pestered by those incssant players that always seem to need you to give up half your gaming session to help them bumble through whatever it is they're doing, craft gear for them, etc..

If people want to enjoy playing discreetly with their close friends, that's fine. But there should still be an option to block whispers from players in offline mode for those of us who prefer clear boundaries. It’s not just about avoiding being pestered by needy players; it’s also about preventing unwanted whispers, including harassment, while maintaining our own gameplay experience.

Offline mode can work for privacy, but players shouldn’t be able to bypass it and still whisper others when they’re essentially invisible. There’s a balance to be struck.

It negates the use of it if they can't whisper. Can't invite someone to group if they're offline unless they message you first.

They’d still have access to guild chat, say, yell, and all the other channels if they want to communicate while in offline mode. It’s just whispers specifically that would be restricted. If someone really needs to reach out, they’ve got plenty of other ways to do it.

And all of this is to prevent harassment from people who hide behind offline mode to send whispers. It's about giving players more control over their interactions. This way, people can enjoy their privacy without risking unwanted or toxic messages slipping through the cracks. Everyone wins.

ESO endgame isn't really focused around guilds on PC. It's discords. I don't have any mutual guilds with most of the people I raid with on a weekly basis. I'm not even a guild member in the discord I lead the most open raids in.

You take away from the community with this. Just block people and be glad they don't know your discord or twitch ID.

I understand that on PC, Discord is a primary hub for organizing endgame content and raids, and that's great for coordinating with groups. But not everyone uses Discord or wants to jump between multiple platforms just to manage in-game interactions. ESO has built-in systems like whispers for a reason, and people should have the option to control how those work in-game without relying on external tools.

Blocking players is an option, sure, but it's not a perfect solution. Harassment isn't always obvious enough to warrant an instant block, and players should be able to prevent certain interactions—like whispers from offline players—without needing to go that far. Plus, not everyone wants to play the game constantly on edge, wondering if someone they’ve blocked will find them through other means.

This isn’t about limiting community interaction. People can still raid, organize in Discord, and use other chat functions in-game. It's just about creating a better boundary to protect against bad actors who misuse the offline feature for harassment.

xylena_lazarow · October 23

DenverRalphy wrote: »

Seriously, what's so difficult about just blocking an offender?

What's so difficult about talking to your friends on Discord instead? Why are we giving abusive jerks a free shot on anyone who hasn't blocked them yet? It excuses their toxic garbage behavior and encourages them to keep doing it.

DenverRalphy · October 23

xylena_lazarow wrote: »

DenverRalphy wrote: »

Seriously, what's so difficult about just blocking an offender?

What's so difficult about talking to your friends on Discord instead? Why are we giving abusive jerks a free shot on anyone who hasn't blocked them yet? It excuses their toxic garbage behavior and encourages them to keep doing it.

Discord is not ESO, and you cannot reasonably expect, or require, ESO players (or from any game) to use Discord. That argument is invalid and has no merit.

You're not giving abusive jerks a free shot on anyone. Regardless whether a player is using offline mode or is publicly visible, it doesn't matter. Because anyone at any time can get one shot in on you before you block them. Even if they do get a free shot in, who cares? They're blocked and it's over.

Offline mode does not equal toxic garbage behavior. There are legitimate uses for using Offline mode, and punishing those who use it for legitimate purposes to protect someone's fragile ego is not acceptable. Toxic garbage behavior happens regardless whether they're offline or public.

There's already a mechanism in place to block offensive players. Use it. If you don't use it, well then you're just limiting yourself.

fizl101 · October 23

DenverRalphy wrote: »

xylena_lazarow wrote: »

DenverRalphy wrote: »

Seriously, what's so difficult about just blocking an offender?

What's so difficult about talking to your friends on Discord instead? Why are we giving abusive jerks a free shot on anyone who hasn't blocked them yet? It excuses their toxic garbage behavior and encourages them to keep doing it.

Discord is not ESO, and you cannot reasonably expect, or require, ESO players (or from any game) to use Discord. That argument is invalid and has no merit.

You're not giving abusive jerks a free shot on anyone. Regardless whether a player is using offline mode or is publicly visible, it doesn't matter. Because anyone at any time can get one shot in on you before you block them. Even if they do get a free shot in, who cares? They're blocked and it's over.

Offline mode does not equal toxic garbage behavior. There are legitimate uses for using Offline mode, and punishing those who use it for legitimate purposes to protect someone's fragile ego is not acceptable. Toxic garbage behavior happens regardless whether they're offline or public.

There's already a mechanism in place to block offensive players. Use it. If you don't use it, well then you're just limiting yourself.

The offline person can temporarily go online/away for group up and go offline again, it shouldn't rely on actively blocking someone, its never made sense to me that if you hide offline you can send one way messages

sarahthes · October 23

fizl101 wrote: »

DenverRalphy wrote: »

xylena_lazarow wrote: »

DenverRalphy wrote: »

Seriously, what's so difficult about just blocking an offender?

What's so difficult about talking to your friends on Discord instead? Why are we giving abusive jerks a free shot on anyone who hasn't blocked them yet? It excuses their toxic garbage behavior and encourages them to keep doing it.

Discord is not ESO, and you cannot reasonably expect, or require, ESO players (or from any game) to use Discord. That argument is invalid and has no merit.

You're not giving abusive jerks a free shot on anyone. Regardless whether a player is using offline mode or is publicly visible, it doesn't matter. Because anyone at any time can get one shot in on you before you block them. Even if they do get a free shot in, who cares? They're blocked and it's over.

Offline mode does not equal toxic garbage behavior. There are legitimate uses for using Offline mode, and punishing those who use it for legitimate purposes to protect someone's fragile ego is not acceptable. Toxic garbage behavior happens regardless whether they're offline or public.

There's already a mechanism in place to block offensive players. Use it. If you don't use it, well then you're just limiting yourself.

The offline person can temporarily go online/away for group up and go offline again, it shouldn't rely on actively blocking someone, its never made sense to me that if you hide offline you can send one way messages

Sometimes they are offline for specific reasons and would not be comfortable going online for a few seconds to x up. I've known a number of people in that situation.

Perhaps a better solution would just be an opt in toggle to allow or disallow offline whispers, rather than imposing change on people who are happy with the current system.

DenverRalphy · October 23

fizl101 wrote: »

DenverRalphy wrote: »

xylena_lazarow wrote: »

DenverRalphy wrote: »

Seriously, what's so difficult about just blocking an offender?

What's so difficult about talking to your friends on Discord instead? Why are we giving abusive jerks a free shot on anyone who hasn't blocked them yet? It excuses their toxic garbage behavior and encourages them to keep doing it.

Discord is not ESO, and you cannot reasonably expect, or require, ESO players (or from any game) to use Discord. That argument is invalid and has no merit.

You're not giving abusive jerks a free shot on anyone. Regardless whether a player is using offline mode or is publicly visible, it doesn't matter. Because anyone at any time can get one shot in on you before you block them. Even if they do get a free shot in, who cares? They're blocked and it's over.

Offline mode does not equal toxic garbage behavior. There are legitimate uses for using Offline mode, and punishing those who use it for legitimate purposes to protect someone's fragile ego is not acceptable. Toxic garbage behavior happens regardless whether they're offline or public.

There's already a mechanism in place to block offensive players. Use it. If you don't use it, well then you're just limiting yourself.

The offline person can temporarily go online/away for group up and go offline again, it shouldn't rely on actively blocking someone, its never made sense to me that if you hide offline you can send one way messages

Why does it have to be "the other person" obliged to accomodate? You can just block and it's done. No work needed on ZoS' part.

fizl101 · October 23

DenverRalphy wrote: »

fizl101 wrote: »

DenverRalphy wrote: »

xylena_lazarow wrote: »

DenverRalphy wrote: »

Seriously, what's so difficult about just blocking an offender?

What's so difficult about talking to your friends on Discord instead? Why are we giving abusive jerks a free shot on anyone who hasn't blocked them yet? It excuses their toxic garbage behavior and encourages them to keep doing it.

Discord is not ESO, and you cannot reasonably expect, or require, ESO players (or from any game) to use Discord. That argument is invalid and has no merit.

You're not giving abusive jerks a free shot on anyone. Regardless whether a player is using offline mode or is publicly visible, it doesn't matter. Because anyone at any time can get one shot in on you before you block them. Even if they do get a free shot in, who cares? They're blocked and it's over.

Offline mode does not equal toxic garbage behavior. There are legitimate uses for using Offline mode, and punishing those who use it for legitimate purposes to protect someone's fragile ego is not acceptable. Toxic garbage behavior happens regardless whether they're offline or public.

There's already a mechanism in place to block offensive players. Use it. If you don't use it, well then you're just limiting yourself.

The offline person can temporarily go online/away for group up and go offline again, it shouldn't rely on actively blocking someone, its never made sense to me that if you hide offline you can send one way messages

Why does it have to be "the other person" obliged to accomodate? You can just block and it's done. No work needed on ZoS' part.

Its the same the other way, why should someone be obliged to block after receiving a message. Its better to prevent than manage the mess afterwards

valenwood_vegan · October 23

Y'all do realize that players who are ONLINE can send nasty messages too, right? Preventing whispers in offline mode does not magically stop this behavior. I'm not necessarily saying such a thing *shouldn't* be implemented, but toxic players will just find other ways to be toxic.

And even if implemented, a player could send a mean message and then go offline. Or send a mean message and block the recipient. Or send a mean message and log out. Or send a mean message and turn off whispers in their chat window so they don't see the reply. Or send a mean message and just you know... ignore the reply because they don't really care?

And then if you're guaranteed to be able to reply to their mean message, they get a reply to your reply too, right? And on and on.

There are already features to block and/or report an offensive player. Use them and go on with your day.

Mean people will be encountered everywhere, throughout life. Don't stoop to their level. You're actually giving them *exactly* what they want, which is attention, knowing they got under your skin, or maybe even a chance to goad you into saying something that gets *you* in trouble. It's not in any way necessary for zos to implement a bunch of things to ensure that anyone who receives a mean message is guaranteed to be able send a witty retort or a mean message back.

Just my own opinion of course.

[EDIT for a typo].

DenverRalphy · October 23

fizl101 wrote: »

DenverRalphy wrote: »

fizl101 wrote: »

DenverRalphy wrote: »

xylena_lazarow wrote: »

DenverRalphy wrote: »

Seriously, what's so difficult about just blocking an offender?

What's so difficult about talking to your friends on Discord instead? Why are we giving abusive jerks a free shot on anyone who hasn't blocked them yet? It excuses their toxic garbage behavior and encourages them to keep doing it.

Discord is not ESO, and you cannot reasonably expect, or require, ESO players (or from any game) to use Discord. That argument is invalid and has no merit.

You're not giving abusive jerks a free shot on anyone. Regardless whether a player is using offline mode or is publicly visible, it doesn't matter. Because anyone at any time can get one shot in on you before you block them. Even if they do get a free shot in, who cares? They're blocked and it's over.

Offline mode does not equal toxic garbage behavior. There are legitimate uses for using Offline mode, and punishing those who use it for legitimate purposes to protect someone's fragile ego is not acceptable. Toxic garbage behavior happens regardless whether they're offline or public.

There's already a mechanism in place to block offensive players. Use it. If you don't use it, well then you're just limiting yourself.

The offline person can temporarily go online/away for group up and go offline again, it shouldn't rely on actively blocking someone, its never made sense to me that if you hide offline you can send one way messages

Why does it have to be "the other person" obliged to accomodate? You can just block and it's done. No work needed on ZoS' part.

Its the same the other way, why should someone be obliged to block after receiving a message. Its better to prevent than manage the mess afterwards

They not obliged to block.They can choose to block, or choose not to block. Their choice.

Why spend resources reinventing the wheel when there's a perfectly good wheel waiting to be used right there in front of you? All to save you a couple clicks of time out of your busy day?

CameraBeardThePirate · October 23

The only reason you'll even notice someone whispered you while offline is if you tried to engage with them after they whispered you. The easy solution is just... block anyone that sends you a negative message. The feature exists for a reason.

Yes, there is a limited ignore list, but I've been playing since beta, block anyone that sends me a negative whisper, and I still have room on my ignore list. If you aren't actively sending out whispers, and aren't actively tbagging or taunting other players, you're not likely to receive very many hate tells.

forum_gpt · October 23

CameraBeardThePirate wrote: »

The only reason you'll even notice someone whispered you while offline is if you tried to engage with them after they whispered you. The easy solution is just... block anyone that sends you a negative message. The feature exists for a reason.

Yes, there is a limited ignore list, but I've been playing since beta, block anyone that sends me a negative whisper, and I still have room on my ignore list. If you aren't actively sending out whispers, and aren't actively tbagging or taunting other players, you're not likely to receive very many hate tells.

I get what you’re saying, but not everyone who whispers while offline is immediately going to send something "block-worthy." Harassment often starts subtly and escalates over time, making it tricky to block someone right away. Plus, not all negative experiences are worth filling up your ignore list with—you shouldn’t have to micromanage your block list just to avoid unwanted whispers.

The problem isn't just the capacity of the ignore list, it's that players in offline mode can still reach out and hide behind their status. That shouldn't be an option. If someone wants to interact, they should appear online, making it clear they’re engaging.

This isn't about t-bagging or sending whispers ourselves—it’s about having a better way to protect against harassment from players who misuse features like offline mode. We shouldn't have to wait for someone to be toxic before we can take action. Having the ability to prevent whispers from offline players just gives us more control over our in-game experience.

DenverRalphy · October 23

forum_gpt wrote: »

CameraBeardThePirate wrote: »

The only reason you'll even notice someone whispered you while offline is if you tried to engage with them after they whispered you. The easy solution is just... block anyone that sends you a negative message. The feature exists for a reason.

Yes, there is a limited ignore list, but I've been playing since beta, block anyone that sends me a negative whisper, and I still have room on my ignore list. If you aren't actively sending out whispers, and aren't actively tbagging or taunting other players, you're not likely to receive very many hate tells.

I get what you’re saying, but not everyone who whispers while offline is immediately going to send something "block-worthy." Harassment often starts subtly and escalates over time, making it tricky to block someone right away. Plus, not all negative experiences are worth filling up your ignore list with—you shouldn’t have to micromanage your block list just to avoid unwanted whispers.

The problem isn't just the capacity of the ignore list, it's that players in offline mode can still reach out and hide behind their status. That shouldn't be an option. If someone wants to interact, they should appear online, making it clear they’re engaging.

This isn't about t-bagging or sending whispers ourselves—it’s about having a better way to protect against harassment from players who misuse features like offline mode. We shouldn't have to wait for someone to be toxic before we can take action. Having the ability to prevent whispers from offline players just gives us more control over our in-game experience.

You don't block someone because they might have the propensity to harass you. Either they have, or they haven't.

And yes, players in offline should be able to reach out. It's been explained numerous times throughout this thread why. There are legitimate reasons for being offline that don't merit being muted by default.

Just because someone offline has the ability to whisper, what's it to you? Why care so much?

If someone abuses it, there's a built in mechanism to handle it.

16BitForestCat · October 23

forum_gpt wrote: »

It was on the actual website, with more evidence than that, with videos as well but they seem to not care. Maybe his dad works for ZOS?

I wish I could say I'm surprised at ZOS, but I'm not. Just disappointed. Customer support has gotten so much worse in recent years. And ZOS is so determined to keep the PVP population from falling even further that it often feels like they're protecting the bad apples; there have been so many threads lately around the Internet of PVP TOS violators going free to continue their harassment. I'm not even a PVP'er, and still I've noticed the nasty trend.

Unfortunately, if that's the case, then it's ZOS only thinking in the short term yet again: once the bad apples have driven away the good apples, you'll only have bad apples, who will leave anyway when they no longer have enough interesting targets to harass. No one new will come in significant numbers to a game that has a reputation for toxicity. If you let the bad apples fester, you just end up with a gross-smelling empty barrel in the long term.

forum_gpt · October 23

DenverRalphy wrote: »

forum_gpt wrote: »

CameraBeardThePirate wrote: »

The only reason you'll even notice someone whispered you while offline is if you tried to engage with them after they whispered you. The easy solution is just... block anyone that sends you a negative message. The feature exists for a reason.

Yes, there is a limited ignore list, but I've been playing since beta, block anyone that sends me a negative whisper, and I still have room on my ignore list. If you aren't actively sending out whispers, and aren't actively tbagging or taunting other players, you're not likely to receive very many hate tells.

I get what you’re saying, but not everyone who whispers while offline is immediately going to send something "block-worthy." Harassment often starts subtly and escalates over time, making it tricky to block someone right away. Plus, not all negative experiences are worth filling up your ignore list with—you shouldn’t have to micromanage your block list just to avoid unwanted whispers.

The problem isn't just the capacity of the ignore list, it's that players in offline mode can still reach out and hide behind their status. That shouldn't be an option. If someone wants to interact, they should appear online, making it clear they’re engaging.

This isn't about t-bagging or sending whispers ourselves—it’s about having a better way to protect against harassment from players who misuse features like offline mode. We shouldn't have to wait for someone to be toxic before we can take action. Having the ability to prevent whispers from offline players just gives us more control over our in-game experience.

You don't block someone because they might have the propensity to harass you. Either they have, or they haven't.

And yes, players in offline should be able to reach out. It's been explained numerous times throughout this thread why. There are legitimate reasons for being offline that don't merit being muted by default.

Just because someone offline has the ability to whisper, what's it to you? Why care so much?

If someone abuses it, there's a built in mechanism to handle it.

There may be legitimate reasons to be offline, but it’s not about muting those players by default—it’s about giving the recipient of whispers the option to block them while offline if they choose. People should have control over whether they can be contacted by players in offline mode, especially given that it’s often used by bad actors to hide while harassing others.

And honestly, I’d suggest you re-read the whole thread, because you don’t seem to fully understand the point I’m making