Newcomer / Intro Solutions to deal with sociopath players ?

[ethelred]

My issue is not with CMDRs choosing different modes, or the block function.

My issue is with presenting using different modes or the block function as the only option.

You can consider avoiding non-consensual PvP in the following ways:-

1. Not playing in Open.
2. Using the block function in Open.
3. Developing the skills needed to avoid those who might attack you.

We have examples in this thread where the only recommendation is 1 or 1 & 2 but 3 deserves to be mentioned too.

It is possible to avoid "gankers" AND complete whatever activity you are trying to do.

It's just not easy.

 

[BinakAlgo]

Sadly, it is part of the game mechanic, Elite doesn't use a "flag" system of accepting pvp. But there are things to do as some have suggested, like blocking players, do not accept friend requests of people you don't know, never go to "popular" systems in Open: All engineers, systems with Comunity Goals, famous systems like Sol, Alpha Centaury, Shinrarta Dezhra (I can't stress this one enough, it is the murder capital of the galaxy, you get access to it as soon as you hit "Elite" rank in any field) the latest system to appear on the news (Galnet or real-life) among others.

It is pretty much like "camping" in FPS, technically is ok with the game, but it is a very cheap dirty tactic, and even worse because in most FPS the new guy has easy access to the same weapons as the camper.

Oh, and don't vent at "Dangerous Discussion" (or any other part of the forum or the internet, actually), it is pointless, boring, repetitive and gankers love to read how much of an inconvenience they are and write their extensive arguments of why it is valid and why people who complain about are losers. For this same reason don't reply or write anything to them, the only thing they win by doing this is getting attention, don't give it to them. Just block and move on.

 

[fishevi]

I wish I live in Hello Kitty world as some people here...

But I live in real world with lots of real people also living in real world.
Bad luck for us, we need to deal with gankers...

 

[Ethaidan]

I suppose we might have different experiences based on time zone? The last 5 times I have logged in engaging in PVE activities in Open, I have had a pvp encounter. I was not looking for a fight, there are simply folks hanging around in Shin, Deciat, Sirius, CGs, etc. looking to fight. If you spend all of your time at sea and not in port, your proportions of time encountering port dwelllers are going to be reduced. I grind tons of mods gearing ships (which I find the most interesting part of this game), which means I am at mat grind sites, and at engineers picking up secondaries. As a result, I see a fair number of people in game.

I apologize that my strategy for managing gankers offends you. It is a game mechanic, in the same way as assymmetric gearing and ineffective C&P are mechanics. The OP is a player that has had the same experience as mine in game, and you call that a "load of".

Rather than denying the realities of the game, and the actual use of an effective tool to manage it, you might focus your ire on the developers that have created this situation.

Your method for dealing with gankers doesn't offend me on any way. It's really quite meaningless to me. What does 'offend' me, if you want to phrase it like that, is the parade of hyperbole & lies about Open Play... you'll get ganked around every corner, Open is nothing but PvP, I get ganked everytime I play, etc.

How is that even mathematically possible if Open is the most populous mode, but a very small minority of Cmdrs engage in PvP.

Your experience, 'being ganked every time you log in', is not The Reality of this game.

As for timezones/play, I was online today (weekend) from around 1200-1800gmt, in Open, on PC. I travelled from Elvira's to a nice ring not too far from Shinrarta, mined for about 90min, then headed toward Kuk. I stopped I at three different stations to sell off core minerals at the best prices along the way, then went and unlocked Selene. That's two engineers, a pristine ring, three top price markets, and at least a couple dozen jumps. Not a single gank in sight.

Spreading misinformation dripping with hyperbole to push a myopic mode/block solution rather than informing players of where they might encounter the bad people and how to quite easily learn how to deal with the bad people really doesn't do them any real favours.

 

[Screemonster]

If you want a hi-tech system that gives the LYR discount, Ix is just as good and way way way less populated. Less populated systems attract fewer gankers.

 

[Chaparral]

Your method for dealing with gankers doesn't offend me on any way. It's really quite meaningless to me. What does 'offend' me, if you want to phrase it like that, is the parade of hyperbole & lies about Open Play... you'll get ganked around every corner, Open is nothing but PvP, I get ganked everytime I play, etc.

How is that even mathematically possible if Open is the most populous mode, but a very small minority of Cmdrs engage in PvP.

Your experience, 'being ganked every time you log in', is not The Reality of this game.

As for timezones/play, I was online today (weekend) from around 1200-1800gmt, in Open, on PC. I travelled from Elvira's to a nice ring not too far from Shinrarta, mined for about 90min, then headed toward Kuk. I stopped I at three different stations to sell off core minerals at the best prices along the way, then went and unlocked Selene. That's two engineers, a pristine ring, three top price markets, and at least a couple dozen jumps. Not a single gank in sight.

Spreading misinformation dripping with hyperbole to push a myopic mode/block solution rather than informing players of where they might encounter the bad people and how to quite easily learn how to deal with the bad people really doesn't do them any real favours.

I play Pacific Standard Time (US) in the evenings from 4-9 pm. I encountered "pvp oriented" players in my last 5 log ins at Sirius, Leesti, Eurybia, and at the latest conflict Zone CG (not in the conflict zones). I was only ganked at Sirius (right off of the pad) and Eurybia (coming into the station - in the station instance), I had players with FSDIs equipped and approaching me in SC in the other locations, maneuvering for interdiction when I low waked, blocked and restarted. Yeah. Not misinformation. Just my sample size of one in my time zone at these locations. This is absolutely not atypical of my gameplay experience in Elite.

Maybe it's an American thing? I dunno. We like that pew pew stabby stab a bunch over here. I divide my free time between Elite, survival pvp games, and fps pvp games. Used to be mmos (pvp and wvw), but they are about a generation behind graphically at this point so we have what we have.

I really don't like the block mechanic. We really need pvp pve partitioning, but this is what we have. Yes, I wish someone 2300 hours ago had told me I could use block in Elite given the state of the game - so I do believe I am doing them a favor. Remember - I did not write the OP

 

[Demonlord79]

- are there any game mechanics to prevent this from happening ?

- More generally, does it exist a way to play without being continually killed (by the same players) in the most visited locations ? (I would have liked to settle in the Diaguandri system)

Thank you in advance for your answers !

As it is quite easy to point out the griefer pricks just in this post of yours. But there are a few things you can do.

1: Keep track of those players that grief you and make a ticket to Frontier directly with your issues with players that continue to harass you over and over which are not tolerated in the TOS and Frontier Will do something about it. People say they won't but yes they will if you use the terminology HARASSMENT. I've done this several times and trust me, it's funny as hell when the griefers are temporally restricted from Open Play as some players have had some pretty nasty things to say to me for getting them TB from Open.

2: Join up with some groups that have there own servers which the griefs will be permanently banned from Private server such as Mobius just to name one of thousands of others Private player groups. All you have to do is go into squads tab and and search around a bit.

3: Forums was the right place to address these issues due to there are quite a few helpful players that will befriend you and help you out even if it is just watching you're six or just flying escort, and by the way escorts do get paid from your trade threw trade dividends and bounties as well as team missions.

Don't let these bored @#$%s frustrate you. It is a good game, "Elite Vet" from day one of release. Look me up if ya ever need any help in the black and welcome to Elite Dangerous.
Commander Demon79....o7

 

[sinisalo]

An interesting case study would be if Frontier introduced a mode like Open but where attacking or damaging other players was not possible.Would it then be the most popular mode? I think it would.

 

[Factabulous]

An interesting case study would be if Frontier introduced a mode like Open but where attacking or damaging other players was not possible.Would it then be the most popular mode? I think it would.

Probably. Removing the chance of crashing into asteroids / planets / stations on its own would make it popular for many.

 

[aRJay]

....

 

[Slange Lands]

Below is what I wrote in a similar thread....

When I first started, I died daily by npcs, stations, outposts, and stupid gravity. When I went into Open I still died more often to the npcs and draconian rules of the orbitals than gankers.

A death is a death. A rebuy a rebuy.

Yet for a couple of deaths by a PvPer, an anti-PvPer is born.

It is a given, that if you break the rules of the Orbital station, like for instance, "loitering", you will be killed.
It is a given, if you click Open, you may be shot.

Everyone seems to readily accept being killed by NPCS, orbitals, toast racks, etc. However, upon clicking Open, some, not all, get enraged when shot at by a human. How dare that human not share the same set of belief systems as me in this pretend video game!
Their rage is then directed at all PvPers.

Yes, it is your fault if you broke a station's rules.
And yes, it is partially your fault if you clicked Open.

Fdev knew what would occur and hence PG and Solo modes. Nevertheless, because of that one unfortunate day in Open, all PvPers sometimes become reviled.

I always play in Solo if I do not want to be shot.

There's a lot of salt thrown at humans by humans on both sides of the fence. There really needs to be more salt thrown at the mail slots and landing pads.

 

[Pat Healy]

However, I'm even more sure that those being shot down were being reckless or lazy and that trying to block one's way around one's own recklessness or laziness is probably both more work and less reliable than just paying attention.

Load of crap.

 

[00nutzy]

@OP

Hello, I'm a newcomer.

I was very excited to join the multiplayer mode for all its avantages over playing alone. But only after a few hours, my experience has been more than mitigated.
The only commanders that I've met killed me for no reason (no cargo). Such a toxic behaviour doesn't make me enthusiastic about what's coming next.
Open questions :

- are there any game mechanics to prevent this from happening ?

- More generally, does it exist a way to play without being continually killed (by the same players) in the most visited locations ? (I would have liked to settle in the Diaguandri system)

Thank you in advance for your answers !

First off being blown up by a player for what you perceive as "no reason" is just part of the game. For some its the main way they get enjoyment out of the game. If you think you are being harassed you should report the player to frontier.
With that said there are options available options.
Playing solo is not a badge of shame if you enjoy it choose that mode.
If you want you can find a Private Group that fits your play style there are a lot out there.
The block feature is also one way to remove just certain players from your play time. The block function can be your friend, and it is provided by the game. You get to choose who you play with or not.

If you want to you can learn tactics from others on how to survive gank attempts and other helpful information.

The most important thing is to find the way you like to play and don't let others convince you that you are playing wrong.

 

[Screemonster]

It was never a question of statistics.

I don't know how many people are being shot down at Engineers, but I'm sure it's a lot.

However, I'm even more sure that those being shot down were being reckless or lazy and that trying to block one's way around one's own recklessness or laziness is probably both more work and less reliable than just paying attention.

When it comes to engineers, I've only ever been successfully interdicted in Deciat, and the only other system where someone with an interdictor has tried to get behind me is Wyrd.
The thing is, the other engineers haven't been ghost towns, I regularly see other players when I visit them, it's just that the other players are there for the same reason I am.
And the thing is, it kinda makes sense - if I was a ganker looking for an easy mark, what system's going to have softer targets?
Deciat, one of the first engineers people unlock, with mods mostly of interest to explorers and newbies and unlocked by just scanning a few bodies?
How about Yoru, where the engineer is only of interest to people looking to beef up frag cannons and are thus highly likely to be flying their shiny new fragboat?
Okay, then, what about Broo, the laser guy? Everyone you meet there is at least competent and has gone through at least two other engineers.
And let's not get started on Selene "everyone I'll interdict has likely filled their ship entirely with HRPs" Jean.

 

[Ethaidan]

I play Pacific Standard Time (US) in the evenings from 4-9 pm. I encountered "pvp oriented" players in my last 5 log ins at Sirius, Leesti, Eurybia, and at the latest conflict Zone CG (not in the conflict zones). I was only ganked at Sirius (right off of the pad) and Eurybia (coming into the station - in the station instance), I had players with FSDIs equipped and approaching me in SC in the other locations, maneuvering for interdiction when I low waked, blocked and restarted. Yeah. Not misinformation. Just my sample size of one in my time zone at these locations. This is absolutely not atypical of my gameplay experience in Elite.

Maybe it's an American thing? I dunno. We like that pew pew stabby stab a bunch over here. I divide my free time between Elite, survival pvp games, and fps pvp games. Used to be mmos (pvp and wvw), but they are about a generation behind graphically at this point so we have what we have.

I really don't like the block mechanic. We really need pvp pve partitioning, but this is what we have. Yes, I wish someone 2300 hours ago had told me I could use block in Elite given the state of the game - so I do believe I am doing them a favor. Remember - I did not write the OP

So, you were attacked when you logged in during peak evening time (EST/MST/PST) and the only places you went (or were attacked) was in well known high traffic / Cmdr conflict systems. As far as I can see, your first non-specific declaration that you were attacked the last five times you logged in IS misinformation (by omission of key details).

So is this:

The only game mechanic that effectively protects you from this style of game play is the BLOCK function.

And this:

...there really is no Open PVE in Elite Dangerous.

Now that you've provided more context to your being attacked every time you log in, you have done well to confirm what so many others have been saying for years:

1. Gankers are predictable. The community has known for years that certain systems can be identified as potential Cmdr conflict hotspots.These include:

• Current CG locations (one of the systems you were attacked in - 9000+ ships in the past 24hrs)
• Engineering bases (three of the systems you were attacked in - 700+, 760+ & 1000+ ships in the past 24hrs)
• Popular high-traffic systems
• Popular mat/data grinding sites

Seriously, three of the systems you listed are in the top ten traffic list for the entire bubble (out of 10s of thousands of systems), and one is currently the most dangerous system in the bubble! You sound a bit like the guy screaming about getting sniped every time he runs across a large open field surrounded by trees. Go around (temporary mode switch?) or cross that open field in an armoured Hummer (prepare your ship and zigzag at high speed).

There has never been any indication of FDev installing a PvP flag or a PvE server. The modes are here to stay. So, you can either encourage new
players to load up on Blocking, which will also affect their instancing with anyone else in the Blockees instance, people on the Blockees friend list, etc. Or, you can share some useful Open Play knowledge about how predictable gankers are (systems, ships, loadouts), and how easy it is to avoid getting ganked without blocking (temporary mode switch, ship building, evasion techniques, squadrons/wings).

 

[Chaparral]

Yep BLOCK works great. It is just as valid as PG, Solo, "evasion techniques", and Ganking.

Suggesting that Ganking is "ok" because it only occurs in high population systems misses the point. Open is the only in game access point to meet new players without 3rd party tools. If you are interested in PVE and social interaction without non-contextual PVP combat harrassment, the only tool available is BLOCK.

If you don't like BLOCK, because it messes with your instancing, join the team and lobby for PVE/PVP partitioning.

If you don't join the partitioning team, oh well, BLOCK is here to stay. There has never been any indication of FDEV removing BLOCK.

The OP gets it.

 

[znôrt]

Thank you in advance for your answers !

we need more information to be able to help you. please tell us more about that sociopathy of yours ...

 

[znôrt]

Using BLOCK is the same as using G5 OC drag drive / corrosive / thermal / etc. PP frags on a noob player. It is available, and it works.

yep. that hurts. this is the uncomfortable truth. so many asinine game design decisions, one slapped onto the other ... a lost opportunity that can only be partially compensated by good old forum bickering! let's play!

 

[Morbad]

Load of crap.

Show me an example of a CMDR, who wasn't looking for trouble, getting shot down where you think I wouldn't be able to point out mistakes that constitute reckless and/or lazy.

I'm open to the possibility of such an event having occurred, but I'm highly skeptical.

Suggesting that Ganking is "ok" because it only occurs in high population systems misses the point.

From my perspective, ganking is ok because it doesn't require any context defying behavior or mechanisms, even if can be facilitated by the same contextless mechanisms often used to avoid it.

If you don't like BLOCK, because it messes with your instancing, join the team and lobby for PVE/PVP partitioning.

I think the entire PvP/PvE dichotomy is a false one and such partitioning a highly undesirable state of affairs.

If you don't join the partitioning team, oh well, BLOCK is here to stay.

No one expects it to be removed. Just like no one expects basic mode system to change.

The idea that block is supposed to be a PvP filter is a completely specious assertion.

 

[Dillon Fallon]

What you really need to do is drop all of the YouTube guides and all that other stuff. There's plenty of places in the galaxy to cut your teeth on stuff, work out the basics and build up your fleet. Don't feel railroaded into a set path, because there really is no rush.

Something to think about is PvP generally has fights between 2 players of around 15-20 minutes. As a result, these are the best players to ask about how to survive the 15 seconds it takes to high wake out of a system, which in 99 out of 100 cases is enough to escape completely. Then make the decision about whether you want to run the blockade or not (go again in open, or in solo). As a result it's always worth asking the guy who shot you down what you could have done to escape. If they're not helpful, unfriend them and move on.

Thing is, you can block people and stay as you are, or you can learn from it, ask around and build ships that are a waste of time attacking.

Oh and of course- if you're not up for PvP and you know you're heading to a busy system, no-one says you have to do it in open. You'll have seen from the comments here that anywhere that is likely to have gankers will have players in solo/PG or will be too busy trying to get where they're going to chat anyway.

It's your game as much as anyone else's. Feel free to take control of it.