RFC: Log who uses tactivator or lock tactivators by WvW rank

[CptCodeMonkey.6951]

Problem:Anyone with a free to play account can log into an "enemy" server and then grief said server by pulling EWP, stealing golems, or similar nonsense.

I have watched a couple people with >100 AP scores and minimal WvW score pull EWP. In one specific case I was doing guard duty on a keep and watched an individual move towards the tactivators until I asked "what they were doing".

Solution:Add a log like "X pulled Tactivator (EWP)"

OR lock tactivators and golems from people below say WvW rank 50

Pro/con

As nicely as I can say this, Anet's support is below water on dealing with malicious players across the board, so logging might not be sufficient or just a waste of developer time.

Lockout could be a slightly longer term band aid fix as these griefers would have to play the game until they qualify.

[X T D.6458]

How would seeing their names prevent abuse? If anything it would lead to a lot of verbal abuse from other players. You say you saw people trolling the EWP so obviously you saw their names, did that prevent anything, how do you know they weren't new? Are we supposed to question everyone in a log to see if they pulled a tactic appropriately? If anything this would make legitimate players hesitant to pull tactics for fear of being attacked.

[CptCodeMonkey.6951]

If anything this would make legitimate players hesitant to pull tactics for fear of being attacked.That seems ideal, as it would make new players hesitate until a senior member of the server calls out to pull it.

How would seeing their names prevent abuse? If anything it would lead to a lot of verbal abuse from other players.

Accidents happen and assholes happen but for non-griefers they could have a means to defend themselves by having proof they're not pulling all of the levers on the map.That could also help avoid witch hunts versus where things are now where one unfortunate newbie does pull a lever at the "wrong" time.

You say you saw people trolling the EWP so obviously you saw their names, did that prevent anything, how do you know they weren't new?

Anet support is underwater and appear to be unable to respond to support tickets on player abuse.

Otherwise I don't and can't know except to balance their account AP and low WvW rank.

---

Alternatively to showing the log to players, I get the impression that right now there is no way for anet to audit their use/abuse to help determine who is or isn't a griefer versus new players.

One more alternative, instead of outright locking tactivators, perhaps having a cool down timer specific to a player similar to the chat spam timer (you can only blast messages on /map /team so many times before it cuts you off). In that theme, new players could only pull EWP once per map for the same length of time as it would take an EWP lever to refresh. For example: player A pulls EWP in Bay keep alpine, teleports to Hills keep alpine but is unable to use it until EWP refreshes (or would refresh) in bay.

[X T D.6458]

I agree that anet is very slow if not outright absent when it comes to dealing with hackers, exploiters, griefers in wvw. This is nothing new and has always been a problem. Tactivator abuse is annoying and frustrating, especially when they were first introduced and it was much more common. But it is one of those things where 'the cure is worse then the disease'.

[RodOfDeath.5247]

I think it should be a WvW point system where you progress your way up, the Ewp should be the last point in the line to get. or like mentioned a specific rank only.

[Strider Pj.2193]

@RodOfDeath.5247 said:I think it should be a WvW point system where you progress your way up, the Ewp should be the last point in the line to get. or like mentioned a specific rank only.

Might really hurt a server with a lot of newer players though. Some of the open servers/linked servers might be hurt more by this than some of the bigger servers.

[XenesisII.1540]

It's been suggested before, I think a minimum rank required to use tactivators would be best to get rid of most of the "free troll" accounts. Having a log of who's pulling what isn't really going to do anything.

"Excuse me sir but you were reported for pulling a tactivator at the wrong time.""Huh? really? I didn't know what it was, I just hit f like it said to do on screen....""Oh it was just a mistake then, carry on!""Thanks anet you da best!"

[Celsith.2753]

First of all, why single out free accounts? I've seem diamond rank vets pull tactics unnecessarily...Second, tactics can be set to private guild only use for a reason. If you care that much about the tactics it shouldn't be an issue to keep a guild member on a map at all times, or to rotate who owns the tower/keep.Third, as someone on a server whose tactics get pulled by 'veteran members of the server', all the time, because we can, maybe learn to play without the tactics in the first place? Sure, it sucks when you're a small number defending from a blob and your airships or waypoint are on cooldown, but just man those 20 ac's 10 catas etc and if you still lose it you were probably going to anyway.I'd rather see Anets time spent banning actual script kiddies and cheats then chasing someone that touched a lever.

[RodOfDeath.5247]

@Strider Pj.2193 said:

@RodOfDeath.5247 said:I think it should be a WvW point system where you progress your way up, the Ewp should be the last point in the line to get. or like mentioned a specific rank only.

Might really hurt a server with a lot of newer players though. Some of the open servers/linked servers might be hurt more by this than some of the bigger servers.

That's true, I've been on CD quite a long time and we were dead last most of the time with low pop.

[Offair.2563]

Anet could go and locate them elsewhere then next to a waypoint/supply depot.

[SugarCayne.3098]

@"XenesisII.1540" said:It's been suggested before, I think a minimum rank required to use tactivators would be best to get rid of most of the "free troll" accounts. Having a log of who's pulling what isn't really going to do anything.

"Excuse me sir but you were reported for pulling a tactivator at the wrong time.""Huh? really? I didn't know what it was, I just hit f like it said to do on screen....""Oh it was just a mistake then, carry on!""Thanks anet you da best!"

That only works the first one or two times; repeatedly doing it would make that excuse moot.

I think having a little clipboard by the supply hut that shows a log of who pulled what at what time; that gets purged every rematch, isn't a bad thing.

That way if it is someone genuinely new who doesn't know what they're doing, someone can have a conversation with them and explain how it works.

If the same name is showing up over and over -- it becomes a paper trail that Anet can use to ban the account.

Just a little virtual clipboard on a post, that's all.

[Lonecap.4105]

I personally don't believe free accounts should be able to enter WvW at all. Why should someone who paid have to queue behind free accounts? That's not right. If you care enough to get level 80 and WvW, you can at least buy the game at that point. Free to play should give a trial experience of PvE and nothing more.

[Mogrey.3891]

mmm f2p accounts weren't supposed to be able to join wvw on lvl 60?

and yes it would be nice to know who pulled stuff. it may have a negative effect on people who will pull stuff a bit more early by mistake but we will be able to figure out the trolls.

[XenesisII.1540]

@Celsith.2753 said:First of all, why single out free accounts? I've seem diamond rank vets pull tactics unnecessarily...Second, tactics can be set to private guild only use for a reason. If you care that much about the tactics it shouldn't be an issue to keep a guild member on a map at all times, or to rotate who owns the tower/keep.Third, as someone on a server whose tactics get pulled by 'veteran members of the server', all the time, because we can, maybe learn to play without the tactics in the first place? Sure, it sucks when you're a small number defending from a blob and your airships or waypoint are on cooldown, but just man those 20 ac's 10 catas etc and if you still lose it you were probably going to anyway.I'd rather see Anets time spent banning actual script kiddies and cheats then chasing someone that touched a lever.

I honestly don't care, there's nothing that can be done currently about it but just laugh and move on (I'm also on mag so I know). But there are times when it's legit troll players from other servers in the matchup trying to drain supplies and burn tactivators, the rank limit can at least help eliminate some of that mess without needing anet to looking at logs to punish people. I'm sure it's not something they want their gms wasting time on either which is why I find any call for logs pointless. If a diamond rank is gonna pull the tact, they gonna pull it can't do much about that, if a free account rank 1 troll wants to come in and pull it, well level up some more troll and earn your troll pulling rank first.

Guilds can set it to private sure, and I'm sure a lot caught some flak for doing just that while having no members online rendering tactivators useless, especially on t3 keeps or smc.

[Illconceived Was Na.9781]

Free-to-play comes with restrictions to protect the paying community, including locking down the TP, sending mail without being a friend, chatting outside of /say, and so on. It makes sense to me to also apply restrictions on what they can do in WvW.

If they can't type in /map or /team, then they shouldn't be able to use features that are important to large scale strategies, such as pulling tactivators or setting permissions. Claiming? Sure, but not setting priorities for the objective. Building or using siege? Sure, but not placing siege.

This won't prevent enemies from sending spies or trolling; it just makes it less attractive.

[JVJD.4912]

Its a video game why would ppl be afraid to pull tactics?? they pull tactics what you gonna do?? yell in chat, hahahaYou would probably get reported for breaking the ToS and get yourself in a worser situation

[XenesisII.1540]

@Illconceived Was Na.9781 said:Free-to-play comes with restrictions to protect the paying community, including locking down the TP, sending mail without being a friend, chatting outside of /say, and so on. It makes sense to me to also apply restrictions on what they can do in WvW.

If they can't type in /map or /team, then they shouldn't be able to use features that are important to large scale strategies, such as pulling tactivators or setting permissions. Claiming? Sure, but not setting priorities for the objective. Building or using siege? Sure, but not placing siege.

This won't prevent enemies from sending spies or trolling; it just makes it less attractive.

And tactivators are HoT features so free accounts shouldn't have access to them anyways. Not going to solve the entire problem, but it's something.