17 replies to this topic

[Dex Spero]

Everybody reading this already knows everything I've written. But sometimes we need reminders.

I've been playing for 8 months. I've moved from Tier 5 to Tier 2. I still consider myself a "noob". 99% of the people playing are awesome. But nobody will be shocked that I just had a bad experience with another player.

But I am shocked. It still shocks me even after 8 months. I'm naive. I'm in my 40's and didn't go through high school with the internet. The concept that people's "online behaviour" is different from their real life behaviour seems absurd to me. My real life values prohibit expressions of anger that insult or abuse others. I suppose I'll get used to all this but for now I'm still shocked by the things people say while playing this game. Because I'm currently in a state of shock, I'm going to share this afternoon's experience with the forum community.

Today, 12 pugs dropped in faction warfare to recapture a field base for the honour of House Steiner or somesuch (I'm a merc and never really pay much attention to who I'm actually fighting for).

12 pugs lined up outside the gates.
12 pugs charged through the gates.
12 pugs "pugged".

Half the team stopped moving as soon as they took damage. The other half were now blocked and could not engage. Front mechs could not retreat. Rear mechs could not attack. Mechs exploded. After the first wave, the score is 1-12.

You can picture it. You've been through it a thousand times. And as soon as it happens now that you're a veteran player you realize that you, and 4 of your favourite mechs, are stuck for the next 23:37 with a group of people who are new and still believe bullets are going to hit them in real life. You realize that winning is no longer a realistic goal.

With realizations come choices. Take charge and try to win or a least make it closer? Lead by example? Teach us noobs something new?Try a new tactic for taking down Kodiaks? Hunt c-bills and kills as best you can to at least get something out of this game? There are many positive responses you could make. None of them are as fun as winning, obviously, but the game has your mechs locked anyways, and 11 other real people are counting on you to be part of the team (some of them may still actually think winning is possible).

Or you could do what my teammate did today. It's a rather intricate and subtle with a lot of details to remember and requires a pilot with expert timing, so I've written out step-by-step instructions in case you want to duplicate it accurately:
1) Drop in your second mech.
2) Activate your VOIP. Call everyone "******* morons".
3) Activate Team Chat. Type in "You all ******* suck and I hope you all get killed horribly" (it's important to do this as some people are playing music or have the game muted and may not have received your verbal abuse from step 1).
4) Eject.
5) Drop in the game with your third mech.
6) Activate VOIP. Call everyone "******* idiots who shouldn't be playing this game."
7) Eject.
8) Drop in the game with your last mech.
9) Run out of bounds.
10) Don't log off (THIS IS KEY PEOPLE SO PAY ATTENTION!). Instead, continue watching and criticising others. After all, they ruined your game by being new and not knowing the proper strategies yet, so it's only fair you can ruin their game, too. Actually, in all fairness, I don't know if this actually happened. By this point I blocked the player and so could no longer hear his comments. I did look for a "_____ has disconnected" and didn't see it, but I can't claim that I know for certain this is what happened today. But since it's happened in other games, and since it rounds off a set of instructions nicely I figured I'd use some artistic license and include it.

I'm not asking for advice or even expecting any responses. I know how we are supposed to handle these people (report abuse, or non-participation, and block). I'm just reminding all the mechwarriors out there of a few facts:
1) we were all new sometime
2) new players aren't intentionally trying to ruin your gaming experience.
3) the only way (REPEAT: THE ONLY ONLY ONLY WAY) new players will get to your level is to keep playing

Let's remember it's a game. Let's remember it's meant to be fun. And let's try our best to be the player that makes others want to play, not the player who drives other players out of the community.

[Gruinhardt]

I know it gets old reading it, but join a unit. If it wasn't for the people I drop with, I would have quit this game a long time ago. They may not be the greatest players or win every drop, but its a lot better dropping with people you can laugh and joke with.

[justcallme A S H]

Solo dropping as IS... That's what you get, bad PUGs for the most part.

It's utterly horrendous most of the time.

[Dex Spero]

Gruinhardt, on 14 October 2016 - 03:17 PM, said:

I know it gets old reading it, but join a unit. If it wasn't for the people I drop with, I would have quit this game a long time ago. They may not be the greatest players or win every drop, but its a lot better dropping with people you can laugh and joke with.

I think that's the best advice. I've got a few applications out there. Here's hoping

[ccrider]

While your waiting, a good tactic is to ask what TS any unit members are in. Most will gladly let you in. Gives you a better chance at winning plus the added benefit of trying out a unit before joining them. If you ever drop with any cbr1 guys out TS is rodcbr1.teamspeak3.com. Just pop in, no password, no permissions muting you. You'll have a different experience than what you described.

[Dex Spero]

ccrider, on 14 October 2016 - 06:05 PM, said:

While your waiting, a good tactic is to ask what TS any unit members are in. Most will gladly let you in. Gives you a better chance at winning plus the added benefit of trying out a unit before joining them. If you ever drop with any cbr1 guys out TS is rodcbr1.teamspeak3.com. Just pop in, no password, no permissions muting you. You'll have a different experience than what you described.

Thanks CCRider, that's good advice

[ccrider]

No problem. We are always happy to have people jump in with us. Although be forewarned; our "combat comms" tend to be a bunch of us shooting the shot about random crap in between calling targets. We tend to favor brawling to keep us focused when conversations get side tracked.

[Nightbird]

Rehash: find a MWO TS server for your faction (or switch factions to one that has a TS), find a unit with people of that unit (so not a bunch of randoms) playing FP, and if it isn't password protected, drop in and ask if you can drop with them. 90% of the time, they'll say yes, as you get faster drops with a fuller group. Try to be good enough to do 1000 damage with 4 mechs (250 average isn't that high anyways), but this isn't a requirement.

[Commander A9]

I share your sentiments, there, soldier. And I've seen alot of that in alot of games, especially team-based games which require people to work together. Battlefield, Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto...seen it all. And you're right. I agree with the notion that your online behavior can be based upon your real-world persona, although that of course can be turned on its head based on the game being played and what activities are enabled in the game.

Playing Mechwarrior Online restricts certain activities that are otherwise permitted in Grand Theft Auto, and even EVE Online. And contrary to popular belief, playing Grand Theft Auto doesn't make me a potential mass murderer. Playing EVE Online doesn't make me a dedicated fraudster or Goon.

Pugs in these modes at times care less about winning and more about...whatever else...

This aside, what happened to you is an experience that has happened to many a first-time player of Community Warfare: A new pilot joined up in a gaming mode which demands cooperation, leadership, and coordination in order for one side to actually win. When no one stepped up to lead, the entire team fell apart.

To prevent future catastrophes such as what you endured, I might encourage you to join a unit (or at least drop WITH them as a prospect or guest), piggy-back off them, learn from them. Your experience will improve immensely because you will be with people who have a designated drop commander, refined mechs and loadouts, skilled pilots, and more importantly, the desire to win the match.

That's why I joined the teams I did: I refused to pug it up and get my *** handed to me in the manner in which you described.

Edited by Commander A9, 15 October 2016 - 10:12 AM.

[Czarr]

It would be great if the pugs actually listen to what the commander is saying...

[Willard Phule]

We were all new once.....hell, according to PGI and their matchmaking abilities, we're all STILL new players.

I just wonder what achievement I have to unlock to be able to drop into a match without brand new players.

[fearfactory]

Ugh. I want to get into community warfare, badly, then I read posts like this...

[Bud Crue]

fearfactory, on 18 October 2016 - 05:09 AM, said:

Ugh. I want to get into community warfare, badly, then I read posts like this...

The issues raised by the OP in regard to player conduct can be avoided to a large extent by simply joining and playing with a unit, or joining a like minded group of players on a TS server. Yes there can still be jerks in those settings but they tend not to last long. Community members behaving poorly however, may very well be the least of CW's problems.

[Appogee]

Please stop ruining FP matches by solo dropping while you're still clueless.

kthxbai.

Bonus: your refusal to waste 30 minutes of your life will provide fewer rewards to the potato farmers who presently infest Jade Falcon (even though it's a total coincidence that they all happen to be on the same side where they don't have to fight each other, honest!)

Edited by Appogee, 18 October 2016 - 08:38 AM.

[Anachronda]

Appogee, on 18 October 2016 - 08:36 AM, said:

Please stop ruining FP matches by solo dropping while you're still clueless.

kthxbai.

Bonus: your refusal to waste 30 minutes of your life will provide fewer rewards to the potato farmers who presently infest Jade Falcon (even though it's a total coincidence that they all happen to be on the same side where they don't have to fight each other, honest!)

Hey, not cool, and totally uncalled for. The OP isn't clueless - they're describing what people who are clueless or trolling might cause in a game. This kind of response is totally unproductive in a thread where people are trying to show that not everyone in this game is hostile and some would play well with others.

[Appogee]

Anachronda, on 18 October 2016 - 10:31 AM, said:

Hey, not cool, and totally uncalled for. The OP isn't clueless - they're describing what people who are clueless or trolling might cause in a game. This kind of response is totally unproductive in a thread where people are trying to show that not everyone in this game is hostile and some would play well with others.

Yeah. I was just being contrarian

[ccrider]

Where you been anachronda? I'm gonna be on after work, come pop into ts and say hi.

[sdlkflwejlfwefiu]

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But I am shocked.

Not played Leage of Legends yet, huh?

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It still shocks me even after 8 months.

Well i can tell you stories about what is going in when you play League of Legends not on Challenger-Tier (think of it as a Tier 1 full bar Proton-Skill-Level)

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I'm naive.

Dude, you really should play a few League of Legends games and then you will understand, that this community is still pretty polite. Seriously -- most of the time, its actually the same dozen guys who are ranting. You know those after a while

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The concept that people's "online behaviour" is different from their real life behaviour seems absurd to me.

Play League of... You know what I wanna say...

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Teach us noobs something new?Try a new tactic for taking down Kodiaks?

To be honest, that just doesn't work while you are in the match. You have to take care of such things in advance, briefing before the match and so on. Also training.

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Hunt c-bills and kills as best you can to at least get something out of this game?

Well yeah, for yourself you can do that if you are good enough. I have no problems scoring high or even top most of the times when I drop with pugs. But you can't expect this from the other pugs due to a simple fact: They suck. I know it sounds harsh but generally, most of them just suck terribly. They have almost no idea of what they are doing and what they should do at a specific time at a specific situation. However, sometimes you get those matches where pugs actually do well against an opponent and even win. This happens when you have the coinsedence of dropping with experienced pugs alltogether. Then it works just like in a group. Because almost everybody *KNOWS* what to do and when to do.

So the best thing for oneself to do is to just accept the sucking and look for your own score. Cause you just can't hold off 12 on your own. Not in this game. This is not League of Legends

Edited by sdlkflwejlfwefiu, 18 October 2016 - 11:04 AM.