There is a much easier solution to all of the party amplifier spam. All players should be capable of targeting and destroying disco balls with ingame weapons. Additionally, the player using the party amplifier should receive a shields offline, -200% runspeed, and -3000 all damage resistance debuff for 30 seconds. Ample time for any nearby players to punish the offender.
I have a better idea. Those whining about the disco balls, and party poppers get an instant hold, and console use is barred for 5 minutes, transport no longer functions for 5 minutes, and even using your inventory screen or character sheet pages is shut down for 5 minutes.
At least NOW you'd have something to whine about.....
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
butcher suspect, "What'd you hit me with?"
Temperance Brennan, "A building"
Jellico....Engineer ground.....Da'val Romulan space Sci
Saphire.. Science ground......Ko'el Romulan space Tac
Leva........Tactical ground.....Koj Romulan space Eng
JJ-Verse will never be Canon or considered Lore...It will always be JJ-Verse
I won't say who exactly, but I have personally experienced many of the posters following me with those items. I can tell by your signature you don't care about other players experiences, only yours and you find it funny if they feel trolled.
Well, being honest, I agree with him as well. Sort of like you go to a public park to read or bird-watch, and then whine because some people are there playing football.
Now, if someone actually purposely follows you around trying to light off these things to annoy you, then yes, they're probably trolling you. But if the just happen to travel the same way you do, lighting them off, and after a certain point, they either go off in a different direction, transport out, etc etc, they probably were doing it for their own amusement, and not even really paying attention to the fact that you were getting affected by it.
But the upshot is this: An individual is ALWAYS going to value his game tine experience more than others. Why? Because it's that person's time he's spending, effort he's using, etc. The other people around him, are just part of the experience, not the "main event", at least most of the time. Is that selfish? Yes. Is that a bad thing? No way. Sometimes selfishness is in order, because only you are going to look out for you.
If you don't like others being able to affect your actions and animations, then you are DEFINATELY playing the wrong type of game. Saying a disco ball shouldn't be able to make you dance, is the same as saying someone firing on you in combat shouldn't do any damage to you, or that tractor beam shouldn't hinder you. "OMG someone else is trolling me by constantly tractor beaming me!!!", Bet you just get laughed at if you try saying that.
Anyway, been up all night working, sorry for the rambling on & on......
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
butcher suspect, "What'd you hit me with?"
Temperance Brennan, "A building"
A switch/filter on the receiving end would not change the animations being rendered on your screen. The only way you might see others using the switch would be a lack of people complaining/leaving the area.
Actually, have yet to see ONE single post in zone chat, local chat, or any other chat, complaining about a party popper or disco ball being lit off. :D
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
butcher suspect, "What'd you hit me with?"
Temperance Brennan, "A building"
Weren't they just during the summer event though? That's why I wasn't counting them.
I think, as long as you're character had accessed the summer event store, you can still buy the sunglasses. If a character has not, then, I believe, no, you can't.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
butcher suspect, "What'd you hit me with?"
Temperance Brennan, "A building"
Lucky you to find the rare exception where these things WEREN'T being set off right in the middle of a shop/exchange area (the sole purpose of which is conducting business), or right on top of the Dabo table so you can't even complete certain missions without walking into it.
If people want to have fun in a place that isn't disrupting others' gameplay, more power to them. The problem is that disco ballers usually pick areas crowded with people who AREN'T there to goof around, like the ESD exchange. There's no way you can categorize that as anything but trolling.
Ok, as one that has occasionally lit one off in a bank or exchange area (although it's been months since I have done so), I just liked to have the light rays dancing around me, while I was buying and/or selling stuff, or managing my mails or bank inventories. According to you, that makes me a troll? Nice that you're so wise to pigeon-hole people, based on only what you're seeing, I bow to your indelible and everlasting wisdom & knowledge now. (BTW, if you couldn't feel the sarcasm dripping off that.....)
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
butcher suspect, "What'd you hit me with?"
Temperance Brennan, "A building"
Seeing a Scimitar out-turn a ship half it's size breaks my immersion, give me an off switch for that too.....:eek:
I would support that too !!!!!!
Jellico....Engineer ground.....Da'val Romulan space Sci
Saphire.. Science ground......Ko'el Romulan space Tac
Leva........Tactical ground.....Koj Romulan space Eng
JJ-Verse will never be Canon or considered Lore...It will always be JJ-Verse
Dinosaurs break my star trek immersion. Switching ships with near Q like efficiency breaks my star trek immersion. Changing traits every 10 minutes breaks my star trek immersion.
Can we kill this thread now? It like pretty much every other one made about this topic is just going in circles bringing up the same points over and over again.
I have been one of the more vocal voices in this overarching debate, but even for me it is just getting ridiculous now.
It's not myfault ifyoufeel trolledbymyDisco ball...Sorry'boutit.
Dinosaurs break my star trek immersion. Switching ships with near Q like efficiency breaks my star trek immersion. Changing traits every 10 minutes breaks my star trek immersion.
switching your ship doesnt bother me at the exchange or doing a ground STF mission or exploring new romulas or bajor
Dinosaurs dont either
party toys do
Jellico....Engineer ground.....Da'val Romulan space Sci
Saphire.. Science ground......Ko'el Romulan space Tac
Leva........Tactical ground.....Koj Romulan space Eng
JJ-Verse will never be Canon or considered Lore...It will always be JJ-Verse
Here are my thoughts for dealing with the whole Party Ball issue. Take them for what you will.
The core issue here is that whenever an item is introduced that allows players to inflict a status or effect on other players with no way for the other players to prevent or negate it, said item WILL ultimately end up being abused by trolls and griefers. No ifs, no buts, no exceptions.
The Party Enhancer balls have become a shining example of this. Unlike the party poppers and fire extinguishers (which can, albeit with some difficulty, be ignored) or the snowballs (which mercifully had a life span), the Party Enhancer balls have become the tool dujour of STO's troll community. However they were intended they are now primarily used to harass and grief and one need not go far to see someone running around DS9, Drozana or anywhere else players gather, spamming them as often and as fast as they can to disrupt and annoy other players. Hang around Quarks some time and you will see what I mean.
As I see it there are few potential and proposed solutions to this issue:
1. Remove them completely (best solution): They are, at their core, a cosmetic "fun" item that serves no practical in game purpose. Removing them completely does not, in any quantifiable way, hurt the game for anyone.
2. Give an option to opt out of them (better solution): Either through an interface option or fixing the /movementreset command so that it can be done more than once every five minutes. This allows people to still use them and players who do not want to be affected by them a practical way out.
3. Increase their cooldown rate (ok solution): This would help (but not completely prevent) them from being spammed across instances.
4. Introduce an item that can nullify them (ok solution): Would at least give other players a way to counter them, but is overly complicated to implement and would just open itself to further abuse and escalation.
5. Moving out of range of them (unworkable solution): Trolls just spam them multiple times (I've watched it happen).
6. Change instance (unworkable solution): Trolls will follow players to other instances to continue spamming them (I've watched it happen).
Personally, my vote goes to Option 1. Get rid of them all together and be done with it. That trolls or griefers will find other ways to harass players is not a point to be considered. Of course they will. They are a fact of life of any online community. That does not mean their job should be made any easier. That players who do use them with more restraint will be upset is also a non-starter. If you want to be mad at anyone be mad at the players who abused them. As for the Devs, while it could be argued that have more important things to worry about, they were the ones who introduced the party balls without foresight or forethought to their application in the first place. It ultimately falls to them to resolve the problem and, as a previous poster mentioned, that threads on this subject keep popping up clearly indicates there is one.
I apologize if that stance annoys or upsets some people, but like it or not those are the facts of the situation. I can only hope that these words reach someone who can take them to heart and is in the position to act on them.
*drops two latinum slips into the cup.*
A few problems with this:
Your solutions 1: Those who have bought them, and still have them, when they'd be removed, effectively have something stolen from them.
2: Opt out. Overall, could care less, but it's more time away from other bugs and issues, as some have said, that have been around for a long time, to solve something that's not really a problem.
3:Increase cooldown rate. Me personally, I could care less if this was implemented, or not. As in, if it WAS increased, shrug, ok whatever, doesn't affect me significantly, even if the cooldown is like 1/hour or even 1/day. (At least on the disco ball). I think that extreme a limit on the party poppers would be ridiculous, maybe something more like 25 charges per day or something, and again, I could care less if something like that was implemented.
4: A nullifier item? As long as it costs some latinum Ideally, the same price & duration as a disco ball. And it only stops you from dancing, it doesn't block the light show. If you want a complete nullifier, it should cost at least twice as much, with the same duration as a disco ball, and it's tied to either an area like the ball is, or it can only target 1 ball. AND it shares the same cooldown limit(s) as a disco ball. So if someone can only light 1 ball off every 5 minutes(for example), then the complete nullifier can only be lit off once every 5 minutes. However, the "personal nullifier", I could see being unlimited in use, as it only affects yourself.
5 & 6: Moving out of range? Never really seen that or swapping instances fail. How is it that the "troll" is maintaining a "lock" on you, to know where you've gone. Many times, when I'm sitting somewhere, and decide to see if someone's got an interesting bio, they transport elsewhere (where I don't know, could have been their ship, another zone, or whatever), the target info disappears as well.
Now, as far as the "those who use them with more restraint getting upset, but I don't really care", isn't that as selfish and unwilling to take others' opinions into account, as you've judged those that use the balls & poppers to be? How would that make your stance "more morally right"?
And personally, getting kind of sick of the whole idea, "the few that cause a problem ruin it for everyone". That's NEVER sat well with me, in any situation, and it just basically says, "If you're enjoying something, I can TRIBBLE it up for you by misusing/exploiting/ injecting bad behaviour". Total and utter TRIBBLE in my opinion that that goes on. It basically punishes the common person or even the victims, rather than the idiots that are abusive.
And in response overall, I'm NOT sorry if my stance upsets someone. I have the right to have my opinion, and to express it, as long as it's not being abusive.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
butcher suspect, "What'd you hit me with?"
Temperance Brennan, "A building"
Okay, I'm just brainstorming, but how about an option that let's players deploy the "Emergency Kurland Hologram" that stops dance animations for your toon, while the EKH dances for your toon spouting "Kurland here!" every 5 seconds, to which only the PAT (Party Amp Troll) can hear??
Even the most sociopathic trolls will go back to using them for their original purpose, as items to have fun with friends and fleetmates in PROPER social zones, which does not include business areas.
It could work! :P
Oookay, so you're saying, that because I tend to leave my characters in "business zones" while waiting for STF's etc etc, that I have no right to use a disco ball or party popper?
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
butcher suspect, "What'd you hit me with?"
Temperance Brennan, "A building"
Dinosaurs break my star trek immersion. Switching ships with near Q like efficiency breaks my star trek immersion. Changing traits every 10 minutes breaks my star trek immersion.
Dino's, haven't even seen those yet. (Tell's you where I HAVEN'T been yet, lol...)
Switching ships, I'd rather have a rendezvous cut-scene (can pick from differing types, such as warp in/out, a shuttle transfer, etc ect), or even where at least you see you're "new" ship warp in next to you, you wait 5 seconds, then the camera shiftss to that ship, and you see your "old" one warping out.
And yeah, trait changes/skill changes (and to add one to the mix) equipment changes on the fly for ships is kind of silly to me.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
butcher suspect, "What'd you hit me with?"
Temperance Brennan, "A building"
While I work at my desk for 8 hours a day and cant play STO I come to the forums.
I have been doing it ot for 3 years. I have seen this topic on threads numerious times.
It is either a group of people that are sick of the party ball being used in heavy traffic locations like Bank/Exchange locations, or it is the wierd RP'rs at Dronza crying about the Grief Fleets that are harrassing them. If it was being used in situations where people got together and were having a party then it would be a moot point. The one's spamming them where people are not a part of any type of gathering but where they can annoy the largest amout of the general playerbase ARE griefing. When you go to ESD shipyard and see a large group by the select ship vendor or the buy new starship desk and someone starts spamming party balls they are doing it to annoy, disrupt the other players around them. Thats a simple fact. When I am trying to focus on a ship loadout and setting Boff stations I really dont want some jerk dropping a party ball.
And its always the same fleets on the forums defending them. The same group that likes to use them in areas that cause the most disturbance. Anyone that has been playing for several years knows that Dronza is a creepy place and there has been ongoing feud between the RP'rs and two notorious fleets.
They like to harass one another there. Big deal. But when it spills out to oher areas and involves the day to day players that have nothing to do with it is when it becomes an issue.
So a solution is for these "people" to just stick to the battle ground on Dronza and leave the rest of us out of it. We all know that the majority of people harrassing the playerbase with these are mainly members of one or two fleets. The GM's have prob gotten more reports submitted from and vs them than any other group or fleet. I did one myself during the winter event for one of their members hitting people with fire extingushers while they were trying to do the "follow the present" mini game. Just outright being a jerk. So as long as these people exist, they get no sanctions from the GM's, and Cryptic keeps giving them toys to use. I guess we just have live with it.
Oookay, so you're saying, that because I tend to leave my characters in "business zones" while waiting for STF's etc etc, that I have no right to use a disco ball or party popper?
Oookay, so you're saying, that because I tend to leave my characters in "business zones" while waiting for STF's etc etc, that I have no right to use a Kurland hologram when you use a disco ball? To paraphrase your post.
It goes both ways you know. If they would make it then you would have to accept people using it as you expect them to accept your type of fun. however we are running this as a gag as I doubt it will happen.
Oookay, so you're saying, that because I tend to leave my characters in "business zones" while waiting for STF's etc etc, that I have no right to use a Kurland hologram when you use a disco ball? To paraphrase your post.
You don't because they don't exist.
It's not myfault ifyoufeel trolledbymyDisco ball...Sorry'boutit.
Way to miss the point, dumbass. Assume they did exist, then answer the question based on that assumption.
"Great War! / And I cannot take more! / Great tour! / I keep on marching on / I play the great score / There will be no encore / Great War! / The War to End All Wars"
— Sabaton, "Great War"
How about a client side ability to no sell the disco ball. I'd like to stand in the midst of people dancing with my weapon drawn like Blade.
"Rise like Lions after slumber, In unvanquishable number, Shake your chains to earth like dew, Which in sleep had fallen on you-Ye are many they are few"
I think they should be weaponized. That way they are more useful, cannot be used in social maps, and are a complete mock-up of the Groovatron from a 2007 Insomniac game.
I think they should be weaponized. That way they are more useful, cannot be used in social maps, and are a complete mock-up of the Groovatron from a 2007 Insomniac game.
How about NO!
It's not myfault ifyoufeel trolledbymyDisco ball...Sorry'boutit.
Comments
I have a better idea. Those whining about the disco balls, and party poppers get an instant hold, and console use is barred for 5 minutes, transport no longer functions for 5 minutes, and even using your inventory screen or character sheet pages is shut down for 5 minutes.
At least NOW you'd have something to whine about.....
butcher suspect, "What'd you hit me with?"
Temperance Brennan, "A building"
!!!!!!
Saphire.. Science ground......Ko'el Romulan space Tac
Leva........Tactical ground.....Koj Romulan space Eng
JJ-Verse will never be Canon or considered Lore...It will always be JJ-Verse
Just lobi.
R.I.P. Leonard Nimoy
Well, being honest, I agree with him as well. Sort of like you go to a public park to read or bird-watch, and then whine because some people are there playing football.
Now, if someone actually purposely follows you around trying to light off these things to annoy you, then yes, they're probably trolling you. But if the just happen to travel the same way you do, lighting them off, and after a certain point, they either go off in a different direction, transport out, etc etc, they probably were doing it for their own amusement, and not even really paying attention to the fact that you were getting affected by it.
But the upshot is this: An individual is ALWAYS going to value his game tine experience more than others. Why? Because it's that person's time he's spending, effort he's using, etc. The other people around him, are just part of the experience, not the "main event", at least most of the time. Is that selfish? Yes. Is that a bad thing? No way. Sometimes selfishness is in order, because only you are going to look out for you.
If you don't like others being able to affect your actions and animations, then you are DEFINATELY playing the wrong type of game. Saying a disco ball shouldn't be able to make you dance, is the same as saying someone firing on you in combat shouldn't do any damage to you, or that tractor beam shouldn't hinder you. "OMG someone else is trolling me by constantly tractor beaming me!!!", Bet you just get laughed at if you try saying that.
Anyway, been up all night working, sorry for the rambling on & on......
butcher suspect, "What'd you hit me with?"
Temperance Brennan, "A building"
Actually, have yet to see ONE single post in zone chat, local chat, or any other chat, complaining about a party popper or disco ball being lit off.
butcher suspect, "What'd you hit me with?"
Temperance Brennan, "A building"
I think, as long as you're character had accessed the summer event store, you can still buy the sunglasses. If a character has not, then, I believe, no, you can't.
butcher suspect, "What'd you hit me with?"
Temperance Brennan, "A building"
Ok, as one that has occasionally lit one off in a bank or exchange area (although it's been months since I have done so), I just liked to have the light rays dancing around me, while I was buying and/or selling stuff, or managing my mails or bank inventories. According to you, that makes me a troll? Nice that you're so wise to pigeon-hole people, based on only what you're seeing, I bow to your indelible and everlasting wisdom & knowledge now. (BTW, if you couldn't feel the sarcasm dripping off that.....)
butcher suspect, "What'd you hit me with?"
Temperance Brennan, "A building"
Seeing a Scimitar out-turn a ship half it's size breaks my immersion, give me an off switch for that too.....:eek:
butcher suspect, "What'd you hit me with?"
Temperance Brennan, "A building"
I would support that too !!!!!!
Saphire.. Science ground......Ko'el Romulan space Tac
Leva........Tactical ground.....Koj Romulan space Eng
JJ-Verse will never be Canon or considered Lore...It will always be JJ-Verse
Dinosaurs break my star trek immersion. Switching ships with near Q like efficiency breaks my star trek immersion. Changing traits every 10 minutes breaks my star trek immersion.
I have been one of the more vocal voices in this overarching debate, but even for me it is just getting ridiculous now.
R.I.P. Leonard Nimoy
switching your ship doesnt bother me at the exchange or doing a ground STF mission or exploring new romulas or bajor
Dinosaurs dont either
party toys do
Saphire.. Science ground......Ko'el Romulan space Tac
Leva........Tactical ground.....Koj Romulan space Eng
JJ-Verse will never be Canon or considered Lore...It will always be JJ-Verse
A few problems with this:
Your solutions 1: Those who have bought them, and still have them, when they'd be removed, effectively have something stolen from them.
2: Opt out. Overall, could care less, but it's more time away from other bugs and issues, as some have said, that have been around for a long time, to solve something that's not really a problem.
3:Increase cooldown rate. Me personally, I could care less if this was implemented, or not. As in, if it WAS increased, shrug, ok whatever, doesn't affect me significantly, even if the cooldown is like 1/hour or even 1/day. (At least on the disco ball). I think that extreme a limit on the party poppers would be ridiculous, maybe something more like 25 charges per day or something, and again, I could care less if something like that was implemented.
4: A nullifier item? As long as it costs some latinum Ideally, the same price & duration as a disco ball. And it only stops you from dancing, it doesn't block the light show. If you want a complete nullifier, it should cost at least twice as much, with the same duration as a disco ball, and it's tied to either an area like the ball is, or it can only target 1 ball. AND it shares the same cooldown limit(s) as a disco ball. So if someone can only light 1 ball off every 5 minutes(for example), then the complete nullifier can only be lit off once every 5 minutes. However, the "personal nullifier", I could see being unlimited in use, as it only affects yourself.
5 & 6: Moving out of range? Never really seen that or swapping instances fail. How is it that the "troll" is maintaining a "lock" on you, to know where you've gone. Many times, when I'm sitting somewhere, and decide to see if someone's got an interesting bio, they transport elsewhere (where I don't know, could have been their ship, another zone, or whatever), the target info disappears as well.
Now, as far as the "those who use them with more restraint getting upset, but I don't really care", isn't that as selfish and unwilling to take others' opinions into account, as you've judged those that use the balls & poppers to be? How would that make your stance "more morally right"?
And personally, getting kind of sick of the whole idea, "the few that cause a problem ruin it for everyone". That's NEVER sat well with me, in any situation, and it just basically says, "If you're enjoying something, I can TRIBBLE it up for you by misusing/exploiting/ injecting bad behaviour". Total and utter TRIBBLE in my opinion that that goes on. It basically punishes the common person or even the victims, rather than the idiots that are abusive.
And in response overall, I'm NOT sorry if my stance upsets someone. I have the right to have my opinion, and to express it, as long as it's not being abusive.
butcher suspect, "What'd you hit me with?"
Temperance Brennan, "A building"
Oookay, so you're saying, that because I tend to leave my characters in "business zones" while waiting for STF's etc etc, that I have no right to use a disco ball or party popper?
butcher suspect, "What'd you hit me with?"
Temperance Brennan, "A building"
Dino's, haven't even seen those yet. (Tell's you where I HAVEN'T been yet, lol...)
Switching ships, I'd rather have a rendezvous cut-scene (can pick from differing types, such as warp in/out, a shuttle transfer, etc ect), or even where at least you see you're "new" ship warp in next to you, you wait 5 seconds, then the camera shiftss to that ship, and you see your "old" one warping out.
And yeah, trait changes/skill changes (and to add one to the mix) equipment changes on the fly for ships is kind of silly to me.
butcher suspect, "What'd you hit me with?"
Temperance Brennan, "A building"
I have been doing it ot for 3 years. I have seen this topic on threads numerious times.
It is either a group of people that are sick of the party ball being used in heavy traffic locations like Bank/Exchange locations, or it is the wierd RP'rs at Dronza crying about the Grief Fleets that are harrassing them. If it was being used in situations where people got together and were having a party then it would be a moot point. The one's spamming them where people are not a part of any type of gathering but where they can annoy the largest amout of the general playerbase ARE griefing. When you go to ESD shipyard and see a large group by the select ship vendor or the buy new starship desk and someone starts spamming party balls they are doing it to annoy, disrupt the other players around them. Thats a simple fact. When I am trying to focus on a ship loadout and setting Boff stations I really dont want some jerk dropping a party ball.
And its always the same fleets on the forums defending them. The same group that likes to use them in areas that cause the most disturbance. Anyone that has been playing for several years knows that Dronza is a creepy place and there has been ongoing feud between the RP'rs and two notorious fleets.
They like to harass one another there. Big deal. But when it spills out to oher areas and involves the day to day players that have nothing to do with it is when it becomes an issue.
So a solution is for these "people" to just stick to the battle ground on Dronza and leave the rest of us out of it. We all know that the majority of people harrassing the playerbase with these are mainly members of one or two fleets. The GM's have prob gotten more reports submitted from and vs them than any other group or fleet. I did one myself during the winter event for one of their members hitting people with fire extingushers while they were trying to do the "follow the present" mini game. Just outright being a jerk. So as long as these people exist, they get no sanctions from the GM's, and Cryptic keeps giving them toys to use. I guess we just have live with it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gr82dZpCr48
:cool:
Oookay, so you're saying, that because I tend to leave my characters in "business zones" while waiting for STF's etc etc, that I have no right to use a Kurland hologram when you use a disco ball? To paraphrase your post.
It goes both ways you know. If they would make it then you would have to accept people using it as you expect them to accept your type of fun. however we are running this as a gag as I doubt it will happen.
You don't because they don't exist.
R.I.P. Leonard Nimoy
Way to miss the point, dumbass. Assume they did exist, then answer the question based on that assumption.
— Sabaton, "Great War"
Check out https://unitedfederationofpla.net/s/
Why? it's not like are ever going to introduce that or any similar item. I'm not going to bother with useless speculation.
R.I.P. Leonard Nimoy
Rayzee
excellentawesome#4589
torgaddon101
raeat
Rayzee
excellentawesome#4589
torgaddon101
raeat
No none at all. -_-
R.I.P. Leonard Nimoy
Rayzee
excellentawesome#4589
torgaddon101
raeat
How about NO!
R.I.P. Leonard Nimoy