test content
What is the Arc Client?
Install Arc

Bye Bye AFK'ers

1246710

Comments

  • doffingcomradedoffingcomrade Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited October 2013
    AFK'ers that are not AFK for a genuine reason are idiots, they can't get it in to their tiny heads that if they just help out then the rewards come faster.
    Ah, but here's what you don't understand: They're not optimizing for speed of reward. Indeed, optimizing for speed of reward is nearly meaningless, because completion of any mission earns you a 30m+ ban anyway, so how fast you can run it is irrelevant: You get banned anyway, and cannot run it again for quite some time. Therefore, it does not really make a difference whether it takes 5 minutes or 15. They are optimizing their reward to effort ratio. Finishing faster won't increase their reward, but would require much more effort.

    Additionally, with some of the more popularly leeched missions, there is no statistically significant correlation between effort exerted and reward gained. Their behavior in this regard is therefore actually entirely logical, if odious: Since they, individually, are unable to influence the outcome for better or worse one way or another, they see no reason to try. It's the same reason people don't vote.
    mrspidey2 wrote: »
    If it works in WOW, of all games, why shouldn't it work here? Vote Kick is the best and easiest method against AFK'ers. Yes there are individual griefers, but a pug as a whole is not. In a group, there's always a bunch of reasonable players who can and will veto unfounded votes.
    Yes, but how BIG is the typical WoW group? You say "a bunch of". In no STO group can ANY subset of the group be defined as a "bunch", since the typical size of an STO group is 5 or less. Therefore, it is entirely possible and entirely common to end up with 3 or more people who will thus achieve a majority vote. If these people are sufficiently dissatisfied with your performance, perhaps because you suck or, at least, they believe you do, since the failure of the optional couldn't possibly be THEIR fault, you're going to wind up eating a ban just for that.
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • dontirridontirri Member Posts: 44 Arc User
    edited October 2013
    Ah, but here's what you don't understand: They're not optimizing for speed of reward. Indeed, optimizing for speed of reward is nearly meaningless, because completion of any mission earns you a 30m+ ban anyway, so how fast you can run it is irrelevant: You get banned anyway, and cannot run it again for quite some time. Therefore, it does not really make a difference whether it takes 5 minutes or 15. They are optimizing their reward to effort ratio. Finishing faster won't increase their reward, but would require much more effort.

    But the faster you finish an instance, the quicker you can get to the next one. For example, there is a difference between being able to finish all 3 Borg STF's in 10 mins than taking 1-2 hours to do all three back to back. Or if You're grinding fleet marks, you can go Fleet Alert -> Starbase Incursion -> Colony Invasion -> Crystalline -> etc etc etc.

    So speed does matter when griding for marks because even if you are locked out of an instance for 30mins-1hour, there are other instance you can run for a similar reward.
    Additionally, with some of the more popularly leeched missions, there is no statistically significant correlation between effort exerted and reward gained. Their behavior in this regard is therefore actually entirely logical, if odious: Since they, individually, are unable to influence the outcome for better or worse one way or another, they see no reason to try. It's the same reason people don't vote.

    I guess you're referring to Azure, Crystalline, Mine Trap and Mirror? Individual effort might not SHOW there, but it matters. Especially for Mirror, since the quicker the instance is cleared, the quicker they can start the next. Also, if people use THAT as an excuse for their afking, they are idiots.

    Yes, but how BIG is the typical WoW group? You say "a bunch of". In no STO group can ANY subset of the group be defined as a "bunch", since the typical size of an STO group is 5 or less. Therefore, it is entirely possible and entirely common to end up with 3 or more people who will thus achieve a majority vote. If these people are sufficiently dissatisfied with your performance, perhaps because you suck or, at least, they believe you do, since the failure of the optional couldn't possibly be THEIR fault, you're going to wind up eating a ban just for that.

    The Typical size of a WoW-pug is 5. Anything bigger than that is more often than not a guild group. Well, that was the case until LFR came around late Cataclysm, but I had already stopped playing by then. And the vote kick in WoW is being perceived as being worth the downside of potential griefing. Why wouldn't it here? After all, the WoW-playerbase is most likely the lowest of the low in MMO-populace.
  • doffingcomradedoffingcomrade Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited October 2013
    dontirri wrote: »
    But the faster you finish an instance, the quicker you can get to the next one. For example, there is a difference between being able to finish all 3 Borg STF's in 10 mins than taking 1-2 hours to do all three back to back.
    Except most people don't actually want to or need to do those. Also, the number of leechers in STFs is actually quite low: You pretty much don't EVER see them outside of anything but ISE. So the Leecher population is essentially looking to opportunistically fill their rep off ISE...and frankly, most people just do ISE, not the round-trip tour. That would actually require effort...

    Effort is exactly what these people are attempting to avoid.
    dontirri wrote: »
    Or if You're grinding fleet marks, you can go Fleet Alert -> Starbase Incursion -> Colony Invasion -> Crystalline -> etc etc etc.
    If you cared about fleet marks per time, you would not be doing any of these things, period, because all of those things are terrible. People are leeching those missions because they wish to acquire these things as passive income, and are not particularly concerned with pay per time.
    dontirri wrote: »
    I guess you're referring to Azure, Crystalline, Mine Trap and Mirror? Individual effort might not SHOW there, but it matters.
    Actually, I collected stats during the last run about how long each run took, running it on over a dozen alts. I was completely unable to discern any correlation whatsoever between the quality of ships I ran (ranging from well-suited to utterly useless) through it, and how long it took. Since there was no apparent correlation between quality of effort and outcome, it stands to reason that you'd see more leechers in such a mission, and that's precisely what happens: When the effort exerted in a mission exhibits little or no connection to the outcome, you're going to find a lot more people deciding that the best effort is the minimal effort.

    In contrast, no one AFKs IGE...why is that, you wonder? Because having a missing man all but assures failure, so the outcome is strongly linked to performance.
    dontirri wrote: »
    Especially for Mirror, since the quicker the instance is cleared, the quicker they can start the next. Also, if people use THAT as an excuse for their afking, they are idiots.
    Mirror's an interesting case. People don't necessarily "leech" mirror. Many who are there are simply TERRIBLY USELESS. After awhile, they notice that any attempt to contribute at all is futile since their ships are simply utter garbage. And there's absolutely no way for them to fix this without shooting themselves in the foot in the long term, since they have to attend it in order to level up so they can actually GET a ship and equipment.
    dontirri wrote: »
    And the vote kick in WoW is being perceived as being worth the downside of potential griefing. Why wouldn't it here? After all, the WoW-playerbase is most likely the lowest of the low in MMO-populace.
    For whatever reason, it seems STO has a troll population that exerts considerably more influence. Is it because there's more of them, or because STO's mechanics are more easily trolled, or even simple hysteria? Either way, it seems far more of a concern here than Warcrap. What exactly happens there if someone gets kicked? Because over here, the penalty for being ejected from a group would be the loss of all progress in the mission and a lengthy ban from Absolutely Everything In The Game, as opposed to something more potentially benign, like simply being abandoned on the battlefield and left to fend for yourself.
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • vetteguy904vetteguy904 Member Posts: 3,903 Arc User
    edited October 2013
    What happens to the people who fight we'll then get disconnected because Comcast suck donkey kong balls?
    sig.jpg
  • vetteguy904vetteguy904 Member Posts: 3,903 Arc User
    edited October 2013
    gardat wrote: »
    Well done cryptic! The AFK problem has been a long term issue and its great to see it being addressed. :D

    However I am also very concerned about "carries", specifically low DPS players who join elites and who expect to be carried through STFs they have no business being in. They barely contribute to the team and soak up a team slot that someone more useful could take. I'm talking about those players who can't even stop non-hostile probes in Khitomer Accord Space Elite, the players who die to a single Borg Sphere and the ones with a dozen ship injuries before the match even starts. :mad:

    Let's get rid of the dead weight players next - if they don't know what they are doing then they should be forced to stick to normal mode STFs until they can parse a minimum amount of DPS .

    It doesn't even need to be that high, but when fighter pets are drawing aggro off low DPS players you know there's a problem that needs to be fixed. Let's get rid of the dead weight players next by implementing a system that kicks mid-match if their in game combat log drops below a certain DPS output.

    Let's bring the elite back to elite STFs! :D


    And then let's ban players who handles start with G . . . Who gives anyone the right to say they are or are not pulling thier weight? Maybe I'm not putting monster DPS on the board. Maybe I'm keeping a dumbazz in a poorly built escort alive. you sound like the retrards from the blizzard game. You have to know the entire instance and you have to have the gear.


    Guess what, Francis.. You can't get the gear without DOING the fights.

    Stop thinking about being an elitist snob and think about how to bring that casual player up to speed
    sig.jpg
  • vetteguy904vetteguy904 Member Posts: 3,903 Arc User
    edited October 2013
    My suggestion was that each vote-kick gets reviewed by a GM and if he determines the vote-kick is being abused the people abusing it get a 3 day suspension on their accounts and a flag on their accounts. And each flag gets a longer suspension and finally permanent banning.

    Are you willing to pay 25 a month so pew can hire the extra GMs who are going to do that work?
    sig.jpg
  • verline1verline1 Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited October 2013
    I think some of you are over thinking this first step with all this Does X count.

    The system already marks people afk after x time inactive, I want to say its 15 mins, and waits for you to move to remove the flag, and then marks you for a kick after something like 60 mins inactivity.

    Odds are their initial steps into this will just be tied to that, if the system marks the player afk, and their inside a stf at the time, bam. Granted 15 mins is longer then many of these will last, even down a player, but I expect that's how they will start, tied to the existing system, then work from there.
  • newromulan1newromulan1 Member Posts: 2,229
    edited October 2013
    Judging by the changes that are getting implemented on the redshirt server I'd say Cryptic feels that they have the right to say who is or isn't pulling their weight, and they have ALWAYS claimed the right to ban anyone for any reason they choose.

    What ARE the changes? Have the details for what gets you the 2hr ban been listed?
  • fraghul2000fraghul2000 Member Posts: 1,590 Arc User
    edited October 2013
    The system already marks people afk after x time inactive, I want to say its 15 mins, and waits for you to move to remove the flag, and then marks you for a kick after something like 60 mins inactivity.

    Odds are their initial steps into this will just be tied to that, if the system marks the player afk, and their inside a stf at the time, bam. Granted 15 mins is longer then many of these will last, even down a player, but I expect that's how they will start, tied to the existing system, then work from there.

    Which wouldn't solve the problem, though.

    For one, most people aren't going, afk, they're actively doing stuff when being forced, like evading cubes that are kited towards them or instantly rolling on drops.

    Secondly it would encourage the use of bots and macros. Even the biggest buffoon with access to google can find out a way to implement a way so his ship will move in circles, target things and randomly activate skills.
  • captainbaileycaptainbailey Member Posts: 356 Arc User
    edited October 2013
    There are ways around things - they should check the data and find the Median amount of damage players do in PvE content - and then set the threshold say 75% below that.

    If you are not doing 25 % of the median damage - then you are not doing anything

    that wouldn't work because I have been in PUG CSE where I have done 20k dps sustained and the other 4 players were less than 5k. By your standard they did less than the 25% median damage and would be considered AFK and get 2 hour bans for sucking lol.
  • deadspacex64deadspacex64 Member Posts: 565 Arc User
    edited October 2013
    Which wouldn't solve the problem, though.

    For one, most people aren't going, afk, they're actively doing stuff when being forced, like evading cubes that are kited towards them or instantly rolling on drops.

    Secondly it would encourage the use of bots and macros. Even the biggest buffoon with access to google can find out a way to implement a way so his ship will move in circles, target things and randomly activate skills.

    better than doing nothing at all, the botter is at least doing some damage or healing since you have to have a target to do anything skill/weapon related. current leeches just sit at spawn and hit need every time something comes up.

    so an improvement over the current leech status quo. not sure how you see what you typed as negatives over how the leeches act currently...
    Dr. Patricia Tanis ~ "Bacon is for sycophants and products of incest."
    Donate Brains, zombies in Washington DC are starving.
  • mrspidey2mrspidey2 Member Posts: 959 Arc User
    edited October 2013
    Not that I know of and I don't think Cryptic should tell us. Releasing that kind of information will just give the AFK/Leechers information they can use to get around the penalty.
    They're gonna find that out by trial and error within the first 48 or so hours anyway.
    2bnb7apx.jpg
  • questeriusquesterius Member Posts: 8,457 Arc User
    edited October 2013
    mrspidey2 wrote: »
    They're gonna find that out by trial and error within the first 48 or so hours anyway.

    Lots and lots of errors no doubt.
    This program, though reasonably normal at times, seems to have a strong affinity to classes belonging to the Cat 2.0 program. Questerius 2.7 will break down on occasion, resulting in garbage and nonsense messages whenever it occurs. Usually a hard reboot or pulling the plug solves the problem when that happens.
  • rustiswordzrustiswordz Member Posts: 824 Arc User
    edited October 2013
    What I want to know is has there been any match where 5 AFK'ers entered a match together...

    AFK1 'Well is anyone going to do anything'
    AFK2 'No we're waiting on you.'
    AFK1 'Don't look at me, I thought you four were going to get it half done by now.
    AFK2 'I cant Im away from keyboard twittering pictures of my cats TRIBBLE.'
    AFK3 'And I'm on the John'
    AFK1 'You lat two, get out there and farm those points for us'
    AFK4 'Wot?'
    AFK5 'Que?'

    :D
    Monkey see, Monkey do. Monkey flings Feathered Monkey poo... :D
  • verline1verline1 Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited October 2013
    10-15 minutes is around the least amount of time I would consider if I were setting things up to check a timer.

    which is why I said that's how I expect they will start and work from there, but that's the current system for flagging players in general, and that code is already in place, that's why I expect that's the starting point.
  • annemarie30annemarie30 Member Posts: 2,661 Arc User
    edited October 2013
    It's not Cryptics responsibility to find people a decent internet provider. That's on us.
    it would suck to get booted due to the IP and then suffer a ban because of it.
    We Want Vic Fontaine
  • doffingcomradedoffingcomrade Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited October 2013
    Even the biggest buffoon with access to google can find out a way to implement a way so his ship will move in circles, target things and randomly activate skills.
    I think you're overestimating buffoons, but consider: If someone actually did that, he would be at least as good as, if not better than, the average PUG player and you would thus not even notice.
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • turbomagnusturbomagnus Member Posts: 3,479 Arc User
    edited October 2013
    Who knows; they might even be better...

    And really, would you rather have a program that helps you win an STF or ESTF or a human player that makes you lose?

    Tough question, huh?
    "If you can't take a little bloody nose, maybe you ought to go back home and crawl under your bed. It's not safe out here. It's wondrous, with treasures to satiate desires both subtle and gross; but it's not for the timid." -- Q, TNG: "Q-Who?"
    ^Words that every player should keep in mind, especially whenever there's a problem with the game...
  • annemarie30annemarie30 Member Posts: 2,661 Arc User
    edited October 2013
    Which wouldn't solve the problem, though.

    For one, most people aren't going, afk, they're actively doing stuff when being forced, like evading cubes that are kited towards them or instantly rolling on drops.

    Secondly it would encourage the use of bots and macros. Even the biggest buffoon with access to google can find out a way to implement a way so his ship will move in circles, target things and randomly activate skills.

    using bots and macros is a modification to the program ans subject to a permaban.
    We Want Vic Fontaine
  • voporakvoporak Member Posts: 5,621 Arc User
    edited October 2013
    While it is a good thing they're doing something about AFK'rs, just be warned that this could go over very badly. Cryptic doesn't have a good history of implementing stuff in this game... *cue flashback*


    There was stealth added into the game a mechanic for instantly banning your account if you typed certain words into chat twice. Supposed to prevent spammers, but it ended up banning normal players because all it did was shoot out a system chat warning - and many have system messages disabled. *end flashback*


    I'll praise them for it when I see it working well. For right now I'm going to regard this with caution.
    I ask nothing but that you remember me.
  • nakedcrooknakedcrook Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited October 2013
    I have a feeling that this anti-afk feature has been actively tested in the Crystal Entity event that is currently going on.

    Get this:

    Yesterday, I had joined up for Crystal Entity, and just as I warped in, I got a phone call from a prospective job prospect. I had to do a 15 minute phone interview. UNFORTUNATELY I had to idle and be "AFK" cause I wanted to focus on my interview and not on a video game. I basically sat at the spawn point for the entire round because...hey...I might as well. Why not? I was already queued, and I was unsure if there was a leaver penalty.

    Anyway...The 9 man team beat the CE before my interview was done...and I did not get a crystal shard...but I did get my mark drop.

    And, before anyone says it, I wait at least 24 hours between doing crystal shard events.

    I think this is actually undergoing a secret testing on the holodeck server on a VERY limited basis (limited to Crystal Event). I dunno though...I have not had time to test this again, as I do not AFK.

    But, I dunno if anyone noticed...but the OP does not list Mine Trap...and that is the most offensive AFK nest in STO.
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

    If you oppose the Reputation nerf, feel free to use my signature
  • marshalericdavidmarshalericdavid Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited October 2013
    nakedcrook wrote: »
    I have a feeling that this anti-afk feature has been actively tested in the Crystal Entity event that is currently going on.

    Get this:

    Yesterday, I had joined up for Crystal Entity, and just as I warped in, I got a phone call from a prospective job prospect. I had to do a 15 minute phone interview. UNFORTUNATELY I had to idle and be "AFK" cause I wanted to focus on my interview and not on a video game. I basically sat at the spawn point for the entire round because...hey...I might as well. Why not? I was already queued, and I was unsure if there was a leaver penalty.

    Anyway...The 9 man team beat the CE before my interview was done...and I did not get a crystal shard...but I did get my mark drop.

    And, before anyone says it, I wait at least 24 hours between doing crystal shard events.

    I think this is actually undergoing a secret testing on the holodeck server on a VERY limited basis (limited to Crystal Event). I dunno though...I have not had time to test this again, as I do not AFK.

    But, I dunno if anyone noticed...but the OP does not list Mine Trap...and that is the most offensive AFK nest in STO.

    Their are missions like Big Dig for example that I join mission ends before I am able to kill any enemies and I get no rewards. Other times I join mission it end but I was able to kill just 1 enemy and got rewards. This kind of thing has been present for a long time. Some missions require some participation and others require none.
  • kharonsoremankharonsoreman Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited October 2013
    You know what needed to be done?

    Put It Back To What It Was Before!

    Get rid of the leaver penalty period so if someone is afking all the rest can just leave re-queue and life goes on, no drama no fuss.

    Also solves the cry babies who leave after an optional fails, which leaving over 15 OM is astonishing to me, but whatever.


    Just let people get fresh teams and instances without all the drama and hassle, easy peasy.
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
    A wolf remains a wolf, even if it has not eaten your sheep.
  • neoakiraiineoakiraii Member Posts: 7,468 Arc User
    edited October 2013
    You know what needed to be done?

    Put It Back To What It Was Before!

    Get rid of the leaver penalty period so if someone is afking all the rest can just leave re-queue and life goes on, no drama no fuss.

    Also solves the cry babies who leave after an optional fails, which leaving over 15 OM is astonishing to me, but whatever.


    Just let people get fresh teams and instances without all the drama and hassle, easy peasy.

    Ummmmm, no
    GwaoHAD.png
  • kharonsoremankharonsoreman Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited October 2013
    neoakiraii wrote: »
    Ummmmm, no

    Why, would that put a damper in your afking? =-P
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
    A wolf remains a wolf, even if it has not eaten your sheep.
  • macroniusmacronius Member Posts: 2,526
    edited October 2013
    You know what needed to be done?

    Put It Back To What It Was Before!

    Get rid of the leaver penalty period so if someone is afking all the rest can just leave re-queue and life goes on, no drama no fuss.

    Also solves the cry babies who leave after an optional fails, which leaving over 15 OM is astonishing to me, but whatever.


    Just let people get fresh teams and instances without all the drama and hassle, easy peasy.

    I don't understand how people can judge this without trying it first. I mean I have almost zero faith in Cryptic but will wait until it is tested before I cry. Go on redshirt and try it before you lash out.

    Afker(leeches) are a blight on STO and need to be nerfed to oblivion.
    "With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censored, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably."

    - Judge Aaron Satie
  • neoakiraiineoakiraii Member Posts: 7,468 Arc User
    edited October 2013
    Why, would that put a damper in your afking? =-P

    No just make it easy for people who don''t get their ways to keep leaving the STF., you know the reason it was put in the first place.

    I don't need to AFK I have a fleet who gets things done EzPz.
    GwaoHAD.png
  • kharonsoremankharonsoreman Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited October 2013
    neoakiraii wrote: »
    No just make it easy for people who don''t get their ways to keep leaving the STF., you know the reason it was put in the first place.

    I don't need to AFK I have a fleet who gets things done EzPz.

    Same for me, most of the time. On a more serious note.. This whole conversation across every game is getting so old and tiresome.. I just wish people would quit acting like asses, grow up, do the work and take responsibility for themselves and their actions.. It's sickening.
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
    A wolf remains a wolf, even if it has not eaten your sheep.
  • thlaylierahthlaylierah Member Posts: 2,985 Arc User
    edited October 2013
    Same for me, most of the time. On a more serious note.. This whole conversation across every game is getting so old and tiresome.. I just wish people would quit acting like asses, grow up, do the work and take responsibility for themselves and their actions.. It's sickening.

    I agree.

    No Star Trek Future,

    Only Mad Max.
  • smoovioussmoovious Member Posts: 264 Arc User
    edited October 2013
    It would be easy to determine who is or isn't "afk" by detecting non-afk'ers...

    If a player is firing on enemies, occasionally hitting them, changing targets, changing direction, changing speed, etc... then you're not afk...

    If you have your speed set, but you've contacted the edge of the map, and stay on it, or getting stuck in the corner, still not changing direction, etc... could qualify as afk even tho macros are firing keystrokes...

    If you spend the whole time only doing left turns, etc...

    Irregular changes, is easy to spot for a non-afk'er...

    an afk'er, would be showing patterns, even when keystrokes are coming in.

    Just by going by how many seconds have elapsed since you inflicted or healed damage, would be a sign.

    Combine a couple of those detections, and that takes care of the bulk of the afk'er problem.

    -- Smoov
Sign In or Register to comment.