How about fixing matchmaking so my 8 newberries and me aren't put up against a fully stacked team with coordination.

This is obviously a problem. And for those that stick to the end of a game it frankly annoys the hell out of them.

So chatting amongst the CPM about it, I had an idea and just wanted to bounce it off you all.

The main reason people leave is either the map, they don't like their chances against the opposition and want to protect their KDR.

REALITY CHECK: This is not war, this a videogame. A videogame requires balance between players or it's not enjoyable to play. If it's not enjoyable to play your game dies. Balance > Realism.

Let's say you put down the keyboard until you recognise the difference between a war and an entertainment source.

Should something be done about people leaving matches? YES
Should we penalize those that leave? Maybe...

But you also have to reward those that stay. Say, if you complete 10 matches without leaving you get a 10% Isk bonus
20 matches? 20 %
Up to 100%
Leave once? It resets all your progress

Well one way to fix balance is to remove scanners once and for all ...

Should something be done about people leaving matches? YES
Should we penalize those that leave? Maybe...

But you also have to reward those that stay. Say, if you complete 10 matches without leaving you get a 10% Isk bonus
20 matches? 20 %
Up to 100%
Leave once? It resets all your progress

I'm trying my hardest but I can't think of another game with a similar mechanic to scanners function of 'revealing enemy players on the map without actually seeing them'. I'm sure a lot of you have played Destiny, so you'll know that one of the things that made Thorn OP was that you could see you enemy through walls from their DoT ticks. Unlike scanners, you had to see them and land a shot on them first to get that effect. If anyone knows any other examples of Dusts scanner in other FPSs I think they'd be worth discussing.

As for balancing the scanner, why not have it only highlight enemies within line of sight to the person doing the scanning? It would change it from being more or less a wallhack to something more like an auto-spotter.

In some of the previous CoD games, you could call in a drone that would give away enemy positions. One specific type would also reveal the direction enemies face.

There were also perks that would prevent showing up, and you could shoot down the drone with a missile, but that doesn't take away from the fact this is essentially an active scan.

Thanks for the example. IIRC it showed them on the minimap but didn't tag them in-game, AKA it had no wallhack effect. It was also on a longish cool-down so to speak - the earliest you could get it was after a 3 kill streak - and it could only be used once per life. Makes our scanner sound pretty OP.

I'm not convinced by this.

The reason people quit matches is typically because they're against nigh-unstoppable slaughtersquads of proto. Forcing them against these people is not going to make them play and is much more likely to lead to frustration and eventual quitting.

I don't think the 'muh precious kdr' view is nearly as prevalent amongst match leavers as people seem to think it is.

This is obviously a problem. And for those that stick to the end of a game it frankly annoys the hell out of them.

So chatting amongst the CPM about it, I had an idea and just wanted to bounce it off you all.

The main reason people leave is either the map, they don't like their chances against the opposition and want to protect their KDR.

As for the map, well as a Merc you're contracted to do a battle and it's a sign of bad faith if you back out. As for those those that want to go up against players that might present a challenge..... I personally don't have any time for that way of thinking.

So my idea is this. New Eden is all about consequences based on your choices. I want to add consequence to backing out of a contract.

Say there's a set number of times in day (DT-DT) that the game might allow you leave a battle. Things happen in RL. But after that number, your Merc is fined, heavily and direct from the wallet by CONCORD for cowardice. On top of that, your avatar in game is 'branded', showing you as a Merc that doesn't honour his/her contracts.

Removing the brand is easy. Complete a set number of matches from beginning to end.

But for the persistent offenders....

Their MU is boosted to the maximum level. They will be put up against the best players and have to take a hit to their precious KDR in order to return to the correct level. It'll also mean that they're kept separate from the rest of the player base until they learn the error of their ways.

Like I say, there's likely all sorts of problems with this idea that you'll point out to me but that's why I'm asking.

This is obviously a problem. And for those that stick to the end of a game it frankly annoys the hell out of them.

So chatting amongst the CPM about it, I had an idea and just wanted to bounce it off you all.

The main reason people leave is either the map, they don't like their chances against the opposition and want to protect their KDR.

As for the map, well as a Merc you're contracted to do a battle and it's a sign of bad faith if you back out. As for those those that want to go up against players that might present a challenge..... I personally don't have any time for that way of thinking.

So my idea is this. New Eden is all about consequences based on your choices. I want to add consequence to backing out of a contract.

Say there's a set number of times in day (DT-DT) that the game might allow you leave a battle. Things happen in RL. But after that number, your Merc is fined, heavily and direct from the wallet by CONCORD for cowardice. On top of that, your avatar in game is 'branded', showing you as a Merc that doesn't honour his/her contracts.

Removing the brand is easy. Complete a set number of matches from beginning to end.

But for the persistent offenders....

Their MU is boosted to the maximum level. They will be put up against the best players and have to take a hit to their precious KDR in order to return to the correct level. It'll also mean that they're kept separate from the rest of the player base until they learn the error of their ways.

Like I say, there's likely all sorts of problems with this idea that you'll point out to me but that's why I'm asking.

Sorry I've not checked up since the OP..

Real life has been very busy at the moment, looking to buy my first house. Which is far too responsible for my taste. I'll plough through the pages and give my thoughts on your feedback so far.

A system based solely on rewards breeds entitlement. A system based solely on punishments breeds resentment. A system with both breeds motivation.

Why don't we use the carrot AND the stick? Why not reward staying and punish losing?

This is obviously a problem. And for those that stick to the end of a game it frankly annoys the hell out of them.

So chatting amongst the CPM about it, I had an idea and just wanted to bounce it off you all.

The main reason people leave is either the map, they don't like their chances against the opposition and want to protect their KDR.

As for the map, well as a Merc you're contracted to do a battle and it's a sign of bad faith if you back out. As for those those that want to go up against players that might present a challenge..... I personally don't have any time for that way of thinking.

So my idea is this. New Eden is all about consequences based on your choices. I want to add consequence to backing out of a contract.

Say there's a set number of times in day (DT-DT) that the game might allow you leave a battle. Things happen in RL. But after that number, your Merc is fined, heavily and direct from the wallet by CONCORD for cowardice. On top of that, your avatar in game is 'branded', showing you as a Merc that doesn't honour his/her contracts.

Removing the brand is easy. Complete a set number of matches from beginning to end.

But for the persistent offenders....

Their MU is boosted to the maximum level. They will be put up against the best players and have to take a hit to their precious KDR in order to return to the correct level. It'll also mean that they're kept separate from the rest of the player base until they learn the error of their ways.

Like I say, there's likely all sorts of problems with this idea that you'll point out to me but that's why I'm asking.

Rightio.

So some have raised the issue of matchmaking, problems with Scotty, issues with the games poor net code etc etc. By and large I agree with those concerns. I wouldn't expect such a punishment/ reward system to be implemented if there was technical problems preventing it from being fairly enforced.

So let's reframe the question or rather give it a different context.

If Rattati and the team managed to eliminate a lot of these problems to the point where match making and team size balancing issues were no longer relavant, rendering these concerns moot, how would you then feel about a punishment system in place. Quite a few games do have them, the League of Legends example given earlier being a good one. So it's not like it's without precedent.

A lot of the feedback has been centred on improving the carrot aspect. This is fine but there is a point where, the carrot gets so juicy that players will leave a match without hesitation if they don't think they'll get it. If we improve the carrot to that point then I think it only fair that an equally large and effective stick should be in place.

Now, over the years many claims have been made about Dust and how it was to be a game of consequence. That's the part that appealed to me to begin with. I'd grown bored of the experience that COD offered being as it was, just another rinse and repeat lobby shooter.

But because of the failings of previous leadership, Dust is getting dangerously close to being just another formulaic Lobby Game. And like those games there's no consequence to your actions.

Now if we got to the hypothetical situation of a #portdust514 becoming reality and with it a chance to fix these issues then how much better would the game be, in terms of its meta, if true consequence became part of it.