Cheating Vs Combat Logging
I don't necessarily agree with all of your points, but with how much the player base of Elite has been dwindling, banning people for combat logging is probably not a good idea.
Elite is currently barely holding on to being listed in the top 100 games played on steam (and yes, I know there are players who don't use steam but it's still a good indication of where the game is headed).
The hackers need to be stopped, but the combat loggers should be left alone.
Elite is currently barely holding on to being listed in the top 100 games played on steam (and yes, I know there are players who don't use steam but it's still a good indication of where the game is headed).
The hackers need to be stopped, but the combat loggers should be left alone.
Deliberately disconnecting to preserve one's assets or otherwise avoid in-game consequence is cheating. The effects on the game are not necessarily more or less than hacking--both result in outcomes that may not have occurred through legitimate play--and both are explicitly against the rules.
As for who is doing either of these things...cheaters are and the idea that some arbitrary subset of cheaters is acceptable or desirable for the game is asinine.
As for who is doing either of these things...cheaters are and the idea that some arbitrary subset of cheaters is acceptable or desirable for the game is asinine.
Absolutely.
Agreed. If you stuff up, it's your look out. Deal with it.
I think combat logging shouldn't even be an issue. FDevs should have built the game to consider it, as some games in the past have done.
It's pretty straightforward; if a player disconnects during a fight, then one of the other active players should "take control" of that ship and use it as an NPC.
I've seen it done in home-world multiplayer. My cousin spent 1 hour preparing his fleet for a major clash with his friend, but when time to fight came, his friend had dropped connection, and he found himself fighting an NPC instead. He only noticed it when the game ended.
In what regards the aftermath on Powerplay and other global effects, defeat could be considered as if the logged player had died, but when he logged on again, instead of losing ship or assets, he would be back to the last station used (a time delay to limit exploits)
(log-off due to crash or internet connection fault must always be considered)
It's pretty straightforward; if a player disconnects during a fight, then one of the other active players should "take control" of that ship and use it as an NPC.
I've seen it done in home-world multiplayer. My cousin spent 1 hour preparing his fleet for a major clash with his friend, but when time to fight came, his friend had dropped connection, and he found himself fighting an NPC instead. He only noticed it when the game ended.
In what regards the aftermath on Powerplay and other global effects, defeat could be considered as if the logged player had died, but when he logged on again, instead of losing ship or assets, he would be back to the last station used (a time delay to limit exploits)
(log-off due to crash or internet connection fault must always be considered)
The difference is the direct effect it has on other players experiences. From the "winning" sides point of view any ammo expended, any damages to their own ship instantly become a complete loss. That loss (depending on the circumstances) would have been cleared by the cargo/bounty that the player could have received had the fight come to it's natural conclusion.
There's also very little worse than seeing your opponent simply blink out of existence mid fight having had an "issue" with their internet connection.
The other examples shouldn't get placed under the same banner mind. It's more likely that players in those situations are going to use the menu log instead. Given that FD have stated it is a legitimate way of exiting the game at any time they are really out of scope for the argument. Those situations also have very little direct impact on other players if any.
True enough, and it makes sense to those that adhere to the RULE. However, the RULE as it is written written does not include exceptions. Perhaps FDev should update their wording of the RULE.
what about those with iffy net connections that loose connection through no fault of their own, these would also show as logging, these folks should not be punished. folk that run hacks etc are the cheats you should worry about as these type of things effect stability and performance of the servers
When I'm in a HAZRES in the middle of a fight with several opponents, the game always glitches a little (in my pc at least). I am sure that the pressure on the net flow in those moments, when playing in open, is enough to break a low-end pc's connection. These cases must not be punished and always considered. On the other hand, it's pretty simple to identify a player that disconnects on purpose, because he always does it on the verge of loosing.
In my opinion, the trick of substituting the logged off player by an NPC with the same characteristics is the best option.
In my opinion, the trick of substituting the logged off player by an NPC with the same characteristics is the best option.
Not sure how an unclean disconnection would even be able to resolve any problems created by that particular event, but preserving one's in-game assets or progress from the intended chain of cause and effect is not the same as working around a bug. The player's gameplay screw ups are their own responsibility, but the game's screw ups are Frontier's, and if one does fall victim to a bug, support is almost always willing to reimburse whatever losses resulted.
Ouch. Happened to me a lot with the AspX.
Or the game freeze while loading the system map, that makes you unable to clean log-off.
Totally relate. I play in a laptop Toshiba intel i5 with 8gb ram and a gforce 920M. Nothing to brag about.
This is indeed what the menu log is for, rather than pulling the connection out the back of the computer.
However, given what you said about your current laptop, that glitch is more likely due to your well below spec hardware than the game itself.
Where I live in Mexico, though there is internet service, it is probably the most antiquated system still in existence. I live to far from the heart of the city and with the majority of people now utilizing cell phones. There is little to no upgrading of old conventional web service. My best explanation of what I have would be similar to what use to be called in the old days as a "Party Line". There is one major box or something in which everyone in my small neighborhood is plugged into. If and when there are too many of us online at a time. Some one gets bumped off. Thus I experience anywhere from 6 to 18 and more disconnects per a 12 hour online day.
Ouch, nasty.
I would recommend you not to play in open though, because i would say that's not fair on other people you might be playing alongside and you may be degrading their experience.
In regards to the main point, FD have said menu exit is not cheating, therefore nothing to really argue about on that matter. People might feel it is cheating, but nobody is going to get banned for it.
I played only in SOLO for a year, moved to OPEN for a month and realized it was happening to often. Thus now I only play in my private or my son's private mode. He's not online nearly as much and is aware of my situation in regards to disconnects. Thus for what ever purpose, Private Mode is in a sense still in OPEN, thus if FDev ever constricts play, I'll still have access.