The complete post above (snipped for brevity) is the most pertinent one of all in this thread at this moment. If you haven't read it all, do so before moving on. It puts the persepective on Combatlogging where it should be.
For my part, a two-fold solution is needed:
1. The Timer needs to be extended. I'd say atleast 30 seconds, preferably 60.
Even though FDev acknowledges that it is a legitimate way to exit the game, its intention was never to be a "get out of jail free card." At 15 seconds you should not be dead, unless you're flying a shieldless, paper-hull, maxed-for-cargo trader, or are being ganked by the most extreme wings out there. So it is currently a "get out of jail free card" and it is being abused because FDev have stated that it's a legitimate way to exit the game.
If RL happens, well those are the risks we take everytime we sit down in front of our computer to play a game, be it this or any other. A lot of players should stop using that as justification for combatlogging.
If a bug happens and you die because of it, contact FDev Support. They are extremely frivolous with their refund policy, so an actual bug will have no issues passing their lacking litmus test.
2. FDev needs to start using that telemetry they have bragged about before.
If someone is reported
once for combatlogging, then as Red Anders stated, it may just be a fluke but that should be logged at FDev.
If it happens
twice we're still in the land of coincidences, as Darkfyre99 was talking about, but depending on the amount of time between the two, some red flags should start popping up in the offices of FDev.
The
third time someone is reported for combatlogging, FDev should start going through netlogs to look for a pattern.
If the player has an extraordinary amount of disconnects, but they are completely random and rarely when in combat with other players, a friendly mail suggesting that they have a look at their connection and should reconsider playing in Open would be in order.
If a pattern of disconnects mainly, or very often, when in danger can be established, the player receives a not so friendly letter from FDev stating what they have found and that their account will be monitored for the next 3 months.
If during that time the same pattern continues, a timeout (aka Shadowban) for 30 days should be implemented. Following the shadowban the player will be on probation for 6 months.
Any reappearing pattern within those 6 months will lead to a permanent shadowban for that account.
And before you all throw yourselves at the keyboards with all possible explanations for how someone can be falsely accused, or it was legitimate; read the above again. We've passed the realm of chance or coincidence, and entered the realm of "most likely deliberate." Then gone back through this player's logs and found a consistent pattern of the behaviour. We've given them a chance to change that behaviour, and/or contact FDev Support with an explanation after the findings. The pattern has still not changed. That's where we are at. And that's the point where actual sanctions should get implemented.
The onus is on FDev for this though! They have sent out letters similar to the ones I describe above, but there have been an extremely low report-rate of people
actually getting shadowbanned. That is not common for an online game if people are actually getting banned. This is also one of the reasons why we are in the 5-for-1 debacle right now, because FDev have never shown the will or effort to do anything about it except talk. There have been little to no substance behind their words of "exiting the game ungracefully is not condoned." That needs to change. Talk the talk, and then make sure you walk the walk as well!
