Questions & comments about RAP and general misbehaving.

[XVyper]

In this particular instance we had a game that had two players, who appeared to be friends on opposite teams.
Their names I think were "iamafeeder" and "goaheadreportme". One constantly and deliberately fed the other the entire match. We were also unable to concede at 15 minutes due to the trouble maker on our team.

Unfortunately my account was not yet level 5, so I was unable to report their conduct. Why is this?
Is there any way to report someone prior to being level 5?

Is reporting "after" the game, the only way to report someone? Is there somehow we can report 'during' the game, in the hopes a GM may enter to spectate the situation?

Obviously we were unable to iniate any kicks because 2 of the 10 players were 'in-league' with eachother and it would always fail.
Why do you need all 5 players to concede prior to 30mins? It seems completely pointless. This ends up in so many games with 4 people wasting their time due to one person who is usually voting no 'just to be a prick'.
Why do you need all 9 other players to vote yes to kick someone who is causing trouble? If you have an obvious feeder on one team, and everyone votes yes to kick except one guy on the opposing team who thinks its funny and wants to boost his stats who votes no, then you're stuck in a ruined game yet again.

So much is done to punish and discourage leaving, but then we the players are constantly placed into unescapable scenarios, where every fibre of our being just wants to quit the game. But if we do, we are punished.

The system needs to be looked at for possible improvements. There clearly is a fundemental flaw that if you ever get two griefers in a game at any one time, there is no possible way of removing them or yourself from the game for the first 30minutes. To some people (especially those with families) 30-60minutes may be all the time they get to play during the day; this is not the way they want to spend it.

I have enough time to play maybe one or two games a day. I am a very casual player, but generally quite good and helpful to my team. Unfortunately as I don't play extremely often, it has been over a month and I am still not considered a high enough level to be able to report any misconduct.

[MacroHard]

Hello XVyper,

This is quite a bit to digest. Let me attempt to break down your individual questions and concerns.

Q: Is there any way to report someone prior to being level 5?
A: No. From the FAQ: "Basic accounts are excluded from using the RAP system to minimize illegitimate ticket abuse from newly created accounts. Basic accounts can still be reported for abusive behavior."

Q: Is reporting "after" the game, the only way to report someone? Is there somehow we can report 'during' the game, in the hopes a GM may enter to spectate the situation?
A: Yes and no, respectively. We do not have the manpower to have a GM spectate every match that there is a suspected troublemaker. A GM will review the replay after it is done and objectively make a decision.

Q: Why do you need all 5 players to concede prior to 30mins?
A: http://forums.heroesofnewerth.com/showthread.php?415573-A-Look-at-Concede-Vote-Times

Q: Why do you need all 9 other players to vote yes to kick someone who is causing trouble?
A: As it is, we get many complaints that even the unanimous requirement is frequently abused. If the requirement were to be 8 of 10 this concern would increase exponentially. There is currently no built in mechanic to automatically determine whether a player is intentionally feeding or simply playing poorly. Due to the complexity of the game it is necessary for such decisions to be made on a human level.

Q: There clearly is a fundemental flaw that if you ever get two griefers in a game at any one time, there is no possible way of removing them or yourself from the game for the first 30minutes.
A: This is an unfortunate compromise to the current system. If we make it easier to remove griefers, it would necessarily be easier to abuse and remove innocent players. Please take solace that repeat offenders are punished heavily when caught.

Regards,
MacroHard

I am keeping this open in case you have follow-up questions or clarifications. If you have a suggestion for a way to better detect griefing mid-game we would love to hear it, but please utilize a new thread for that!

[XVyper]

Hi MacroHard,

Thanks very much for your detailed and prompt reply.
Your link to the discussion on concede vote times is great. I'm very happy to see some changes in that regard. I'm in full agreement with the proposed solution.

I don't have any fantastic and thought-out suggestions for improvements right now, but I'll be sure to mention something when I do.

Thanks again for taking the time to reply.

- XViper