Myth Busting: Does "Blocking" Another Player Stop Them Instancing With You?

[Runis]

Guys, this has nothing to do with engineers or griefers, multicrew or whatever else.

Also it reminds me of the scandal when FDev got exposed for not watching vids of / banning exploiters.
I understand that it is in FDev's interest to keep the masses pleased but this is absurd.

We are lately being invaded by casuals, manga kids and all kind of carebears and i can see that E.D. is transforming from a great game to a bussiness.

This is an easy exploit of a broken feature and needs to be fixed. Blocking players should block only the communication, not the instancing in "open".

I thought i would never say this but i can't wait for S.C. to come out, at least i'll have an alternative.

 

[Marra Morgan]

I dont think you are right..

I recalled the name of a player who suicidewinder killed my AspX after a long trip. His name was easy to recal and days later i added him to the block list.
at the time i wasnt sure that the block list did anything except block communication, but i was a relatively new player and had just found the function and thought i would give it a try.

No, really, I am

If you were able to block another player from the main menu as you claim, you were either already Friends with them, or you were in the same Private Group as them.

You cannot block another player from the main menu if they are not already a Friend to you or are part of the same Private Group. You need to be in the same instance as them. All the talk of mass block-listing people is nonsense.

If you wish to test this, please do - add me, Marra Morgan, to your Block list and post up a screenie when you're successful.

 

[Riverside]

Surely friend and block should be mutually exclusive options? If only to overcome the exact complication described in the OP?


The outcome is interesting... If lots of CMDRs blocked griefers/gankers, those individuals could find themselves more and more pushed in to less busy instances? ie: A single CMDR in an existing instance has them blocked? So the game denies them access to that main/busy instance!?

I guess the problems is. Equally the exact opposite could happen if one of your blocked griefers/gankers is already in the main/busy instance? You'll then get ostracised instead!

With two mutually exclusive rules, one must have priority over the other. Friend overrides Block, so if both rules are applied you can be instanced with them but their chat is blocked.

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No, really, I am

If you were able to block another player from the main menu as you claim, you were either already Friends with them, or you were in the same Private Group as them.

You cannot block another player from the main menu if they are not already a Friend to you or are part of the same Private Group. You need to be in the same instance as them. All the talk of mass block-listing people is nonsense.

If you wish to test this, please do - add me, Marra Morgan, to your Block list and post up a screenie when you're successful.

I just tried. I can search for you & make a friend request, and I can block an existing friend but I can't go straight to block from the menu. If we were in the same instance I would be able to from the chat menu I think (I'm exploring & unable to verify this right now). I cancelled the friend request btw, no offence

Part of the 2.3 update will be the stored history (possibly of only crewmates) so you can friend or block them after they have left.

 

[Notwyn]

I don't find the term troublesome as such. I just think it's a bit sad to take such exception to people not wanting to PvP.

"Griefer" and "carebear" aren't comparable either. One describes actively disrupting another player's gameplay, while the other describes not participating in another player's gameplay. They won't be equal terms until I can fly up to a PvP player and force them to come on a mining trip with me, a trip which they won't survive unless they happen to be flying a ship with more mining capability than my specialised mining Cutter.

If you recall, taking open in its current state away wasn't PvE players' first choice. They wanted a separate open PvE mode, and had no problem with there also being an "anything goes" mode. Perhaps so vehemently opposing open PvE wasn't the best idea?

Can't rep you again, +1 CMDR.

 

[Marra Morgan]

I just tried. I can search for you & make a friend request, and I can block an existing friend but I can't go straight to block from the menu. If we were in the same instance I would be able to from the chat menu I think (I'm exploring & unable to verify this right now).

Yes, that's right - if we were in the same instance you could Block me from the chat menu. That would block my comms instantly, but the match-making wouldn't take effect until our next encounter.
It makes me wonder how many people are going to get out of a hostile encounter alive whilst they faff about in the chat menu instead of high-waking!

I cancelled the friend request btw, no offence

lol, none taken! For Science, right?

Part of the 2.3 update will be the stored history (possibly of only crewmates) so you can friend or block them after they have left.

Looks that way, although I understood the History to record players who you'd crewed-up with and players that had killed you - meaning you can only Block through the History tab if you died to that player.

 

[sewerratuk]

Could someone post where FD said the block feature will stop people instancing. All I can find in the vid is that the current block feature will be accessible from chat rather than just the main menu.

Where do they say that they are implementing a full block?

 

[Robert Maynard]

Could someone post where FD said the block feature will stop people instancing. All I can find in the vid is that the current block feature will be accessible from chat rather than just the main menu.

Where do they say that they are implementing a full block?

They haven't - however in the same video Adam says something to the effect "and sometimes you don't want to be with those players(?)" (here: https://youtu.be/lEeVParEpeg?t=1058 ) - which seems to imply a bit more than blocking comms.

 

[Asp Explorer]

Blocking individual players is pretty straightforward for those willing to do such a thing, however it just wrecks instancing for others - especially when they are using some of the godawful script kiddie nonsense out there.

FD could make things much more civilsed for everyone if they made the block function work at a matchmaking level and let everyone know it's intended function.

 

[sewerratuk]

They haven't - however in the same video Adam says something to the effect "and sometimes you don't want to be with those players(?)" (here: https://youtu.be/lEeVParEpeg?t=1058 ) - which seems to imply a bit more than blocking comms.

Thanks
I can't say as I'm a fan but I'll be interested to see it tested in Beta. As has been posted previously, I wouldn't want to be trapped in an instance at a CG with someone that has lots of players blocked

 

[Riverside]

I understood the History to record players who you'd crewed-up with and players that had killed you - meaning you can only Block through the History tab if you died to that player.

I saw choices to friend & block - if it includes more than just crewmates in the log it would need to include every Cmdr you encounter to allow you to friend them. Or block them

 

[Vasco Sapien]

No, really, I am

If you were able to block another player from the main menu as you claim, you were either already Friends with them, or you were in the same Private Group as them.

You cannot block another player from the main menu if they are not already a Friend to you or are part of the same Private Group. You need to be in the same instance as them. All the talk of mass block-listing people is nonsense.

If you wish to test this, please do - add me, Marra Morgan, to your Block list and post up a screenie when you're successful.

I have vivid memory of blocking one player who trolled me after the fact. But ive just checked as you suggested and it seems that you are right. In which case i stand corrected.

But i did say a few pages back that even if the block list is not possible, that the standard practice of Blocking all griefers by the ED community once discovered in game should be advertised and the community should be made aware of the function and how to use it.

So a sticky thread would be nice. 'BLOCK ALL CHEATS - A how to guide'.

You can block a player in game simply by targeting them and using the in ship menu system on the coms panel to do so.

 

[Toumal]

FYI guys, if you're wondering why there seem to be some very upset people...
In a certain other place on the web, this thread is seen as a grave danger to the "fun" certain types of players have. For the same reason, threads about crime and punishment are regularly derailed and filled with nonsense to try and deflect attention from the very good suggestions many people have posted, and which would mean certain elements would have to find another game to gank people.

So in case posts like this one here make you wonder what the hell the poster is talking about when he tries to paint the ability to block people from instancing with you as an exploit...

This is an easy exploit of a broken feature and needs to be fixed. Blocking players should block only the communication, not the instancing in "open".

I thought i would never say this, but i can't wait for S.C. to come out, at least i'll have an alternative.

...then remember the bit I mentioned earlier. If you know google, you might even be able to correlate certain users and compare what they say here ("This is terrible, this is gonna break the game") with what they say there ("Oh crap they noticed, we gotta twist the narrative in our favor somehow")

If you spot such users, I recommend blocking them, as I doubt the forum mods can be reasonably asked to dig into other websites to try and correlate which user there might be which user here.

 

[DukeIronHand]

C&P! C&P!! C&P!!!
Everyone cries how that is the "solution" to bring Open back for all.
I don't buy it for a minute but that doesn't matter: Isn't blocking accomplishing the same thing?
A C&P that really works...finally.
Is this FD's answer for the problem that really, maybe, probably, cannot be done on the server end?

 

[Toumal]

You can block a player in game simply by targeting them and using the in ship menu system on the coms panel to do so.

Sadly this is not an option if you're a T6-pilot suprise-ganked by a Corvette. You get the commander name, but AFAIK there's no way to block a player after you died even if you know the name.

(If there is and I'm just too stupid to find it, please tell me)

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C&P! C&P!! C&P!!!
Everyone cries how that is the "solution" to bring Open back for all.
I don't buy it for a minute but that doesn't matter: Isn't blocking accomplishing the same thing?
Is this FD's answer for the problem that really, maybe, probably, cannot be done on the server end?

Yes my dear friend. If there were proper consequences, along with a system that makes actual piracy viable AND profitable, then we'd not have this discussion. And such a system is definitely possible. Many people, including myself, have outlined how it could (and would) work.

Repeating "IT WON'T HELP" won't change how logic and math works.

 

[Riverside]

So a sticky thread would be nice. 'BLOCK ALL CHEATS - A how to guide'.

I'd have no objection to that, a how-to guide without naming names that is. It's up to the individual player to decide whether to block or not based on how their first meeting with a Cmdr goes. If it goes badly there is a reduced chance of there being a second.

Players who feel they are being inconvenienced by any resulting instancing issues will be able to look those blocked players squarely in the HUD & hold them to account for their poor behaviour

 

[Vasco Sapien]

Yes, that's right - if we were in the same instance you could Block me from the chat menu. That would block my comms instantly, but the match-making wouldn't take effect until our next encounter.
It makes me wonder how many people are going to get out of a hostile encounter alive whilst they faff about in the chat menu instead of high-waking!

In my experiance grief players like to send friend requests once they have trolled you so they can chat smack to you. Block is then available.

SuicideWinder attacks outside of space stations if you have just launched from that station would mean you re-spawn back into the station where you got attacked. You can then block the offending pilot just after the rebuy.

As for running and blocking in open space, im not concerned about that. I dont personally condone the blocking of each and every player that attacks you, Im only concerned with cheaters. if you are under attack in open space then fight or run. if you are being griefed by someone using an exploit... Then use the block tool.

The guys using blind spots in space stations and repulsor weps are easy to target and block.
Commanders who destroy your ship on planet surfaces like the Alien ruin attacks can be easily blocked from your SRV and by others watching the incident.
People who are just trolling you with smack talk and general attery can also be blocked.

The situations where blocking can be viable will be apparent to you as a player with each and every circumstance.

As for Combat loggers, well by the time they have shown themselves to be cheaters its already to late. Unless you send a friend request and they respond to it after the fact, then you can block them. or if you see them again.

Obviously this isnt a perfect tool, but its better than nothing is a game without any ability to deal with belligerent players.

 

[Toumal]

The solution would be to have a log of recent contacts, and the ability to select any from that list and block them by name at any point during the game, not just while you're in the same instance or befriended with them.

But really, I think the best solution is to make random acts of violence draw the same reaction they would in real life, with the police in all lawful systems mercylessly going after you. Close the loopholes, but also let anarchy systems be the places where gankers can roam free. If you go to an anarchy system, you are on your own and all bets are off. And if you're pirated, you better give up cargo or face the consequences.

And PIRACY SHOULD BE PROFITABLE. At the moment it's a joke.

 

[sewerratuk]

II dont personally condone the blocking of each and every player that attacks you

But this is what the block function will be used for and if you want to engage in PvP with an aggressor at a CG you won't be able to see them because the instances will be flooded with blockers.
So to quote some around here 'don't force your game style on me'

 

[Robert Maynard]

And PIRACY SHOULD BE PROFITABLE. At the moment it's a joke.

Piracy is wholly dependent on the contents of the target's hold, any consequential losses incurred during the extraction (ammo, fines, damage, bounties) and also on the sale price of said ex-hold contents.

Guarantee the pirate too much of the contents of the target's hold and what might be a relatively enjoyable RP encounter becomes more akin to a visit from the taxman and about as much fun.

 

[Vasco Sapien]

The solution would be to have a log of recent contacts, and the ability to select any from that list and block them by name at any point during the game, not just while you're in the same instance or befriended with them.

But really, I think the best solution is to make random acts of violence draw the same reaction they would in real life, with the police in all lawful systems mercylessly going after you. Close the loopholes, but also let anarchy systems be the places where gankers can roam free. If you go to an anarchy system, you are on your own and all bets are off. And if you're pirated, you better give up cargo or face the consequences.

And PIRACY SHOULD BE PROFITABLE. At the moment it's a joke.

Yup and robust C&P system i think nearly everyone agree's is needed. Vindicator jones posted a good video on a C&P system using a Karma system. i definatly feel thats a good foundations for Fdev to build upon.

However right now we have no system in place and griefers grief. So for now the Block function should be adopted and used with as much effect as is possible ---(where cheaters are concerned).