CTF Farming

[rebar619 41]

How is it fathomable that the developers allow flags to be capped when a match starts and teams are drastically unbalanced? For example, I just left a match where to start it was 7vs2 and the score was 5-0 before the teams became remotely balanced. Of course the leading team continues to have more players since tankers will always join a winning team first. This kill the game play. I would like to think that more players would have good sportsmanship and would not farm flags under those circumstances, but unfortunately too many tankers are pathetic worms that have no concept of competition. 

 

So, it begs the question -  why is this a problem to begin with? Why not fix this easily correctable problem to better game play for all instead of jerk around with MU ratios for MO players? Would love to get a reasonable answer to this, but unfortunately none of the admin will have the guts to respond with anything remotely resembling logic. 

[Drey 879]

How is it fathomable that the developers allow flags to be capped when a match starts and teams are drastically unbalanced? For example, I just left a match where to start it was 7vs2 and the score was 5-0 before the teams became remotely balanced. Of course the leading team continues to have more players since tankers will always join a winning team first. This kill the game play. I would like to think that more players would have good sportsmanship and would not farm flags under those circumstances, but unfortunately too many tankers are pathetic worms that have no concept of competition. 

 

So, it begs the question -  why is this a problem to begin with? Why not fix this easily correctable problem to better game play for all instead of jerk around with MU ratios for MO players? Would love to get a reasonable answer to this, but unfortunately none of the admin will have the guts to respond with anything remotely resembling logic. 

As a player, you just have to be reasonable with the moderators. Think to yourself, is it possible to remove all the trolls of the internet? No it isn't. [Don't try and give a response because it's not.] Some things cannot be fixed. If there was a way to combat this problem our developers and moderators would've already implemented it. 

 

By the way, many mods would gladly give you a response to your question, so I'd edit my highlighted part out :P.

[rebar619 41]

As a player, you just have to be reasonable with the moderators. Think to yourself, is it possible to remove all the trolls of the internet? No it isn't. [Don't try and give a response because it's not.] Some things cannot be fixed. If there was a way to combat this problem our developers and moderators would've already implemented it. 

 

By the way, many mods would gladly give you a response to your question, so I'd edit my highlighted part out :P.

The source of my vitriol is the fact I have posted in the forums multiple times regarding game play issues and solutions to them with nary a sniff from mods. Really, the farming issue in CTF is such a simple one to fix it is absurd. If there is more than a 40% difference in team balance then flags are frozen and no further capping can occur. Done! So simple it will never happen. Then again this game has made me quite jaded and caused me to stop playing for months at a time due to game play and tanker culture.

[Drey 879]

The source of my vitriol is the fact I have posted in the forums multiple times regarding game play issues and solutions to them with nary a sniff from mods. Really, the farming issue in CTF is such a simple one to fix it is absurd. If there is more than a 40% difference in team balance then flags are frozen and no further capping can occur. Done! So simple it will never happen. Then again this game has made me quite jaded and caused me to stop playing for months at a time due to game play and tanker culture.

And how do you go about making the algorithms for when flags are frozen and when to unfreeze them. Also what about when they glitch and don't unfreeze? Mods must think about stuff like that. 

[Maf 32,307]

You say "easily correctable", but I say it's just another way the game could be abused. Let's say that a system is added where if 25% or more of the enemy team leave, then the flags are locked and can't be taken. So what I can do is, get 8 friends together, create an 8v8 battle, wait for enemies to enter, and throughout the game whenever I see that the enemy is about to do a successful attack, I tell 2 of my friends to leave the battle so that the flags get locked. And as soon as the situation becomes more calm and the risk of losing the flag is gone, they come back and we continue playing.

You see the problem?

 

We already have a system where experience farming from flags is prevented (if you capture a lot of flags quickly, you start getting less and less experience from them), but I doubt that anything like what you suggest will ever be added.

[rebar619 41]

And how do you go about making the algorithms for when flags are frozen and when to unfreeze them. Also what about when they glitch and don't unfreeze? Mods must think about stuff like that. 

If you can develop algorithms that tweek the smart cool downs like has been done repeatedly in the recent past you can do this with the flags. With regards to glitches, it happens. It is always a risk. 

[Drey 879]

If you can develop algorithms that tweek the smart cool downs like has been done repeatedly in the recent past you can do this with the flags. With regards to glitches, it happens. It is always a risk. 

They can tweek that easily because they already developed the algorithm. Starting from ground zero isn't always easy. 

Edited March 21, 2017 by Drey

[rebar619 41]

You say "easily correctable", but I say it's just another way the game could be abused. Let's say that a system is added where if 25% or more of the enemy team leave, then the flags are locked and can't be taken. So what I can do is, get 8 friends together, create an 8v8 battle, wait for enemies to enter, and throughout the game whenever I see that the enemy is about to do a successful attack, I tell 2 of my friends to leave the battle so that the flags get locked. And as soon as the situation becomes more calm and the risk of losing the flag is gone, they come back and we continue playing.

You see the problem?

 

We already have a system where experience farming from flags is prevented (if you capture a lot of flags quickly, you start getting less and less experience from them), but I doubt that anything like what you suggest will ever be added.

Your situation is much less frequent and would require a rather high level of collusion. If we are going to acquiesce that mults will be an issue in the game then I see no way to get around the scenario you describe. Do you design the game for intentional cheating or for basic scenarios that require NO cheating? I would argue you deal with real issues in game play first. The only other option is for the early termination timer to kick in much sooner than it does. Currently it takes way too long. Even on a large map you can cap 5 flags before it kicks in. At that point the match is a lost cause and as a player you have wasted your time. 

This wouldnt be an issue if players had any class, but time and again the Tanki community has shown it is full of self indulgent children that have no concept of competition, but rather are so self focused as to not understand what a fun game can/should be. Abject drugging and farming in a 7vs2 or worse match is indicative of a bully mob mentality that is bereft of any consideration for fellow tankers.

[rebar619 41]

They can tweek that easily because they already developed the algorithm. Starting from ground zero isn't always easy. 

Still not buying what you are selling. How about all of the time spent developing the new artillery turret? You cant tell me that is not an time intensive exercise. I have a hard time believing this is not an issue that developers could not address with a modicum of thought and effort.

[Maf 32,307]

Your situation is much less frequent and would require a rather high level of collusion....

You're probably right, and I'm not sure what else to add at this point. You ask "how is it fathomable?" and the answer is simply that developers just didn't get around to making a good system that would prevent abuse of uneven teams. The introduction of the "Battle!" button solved the issue partially, as games fill up much faster now and the unfair advantage usually only lasts a couple minutes at most. If the teams still stay uneven and one team dominates, then there's the auto-finish feature.

 

The problem with adding this is that it will restrict people's gameplay, so I think it can only be added as an option for PRO battles. And the idea for this was already posted here, so I don't really see the point of this topic, neither do I see why you didn't post it in the ideas section in the first place.

[Zenyth 6,494]

the so-called high level of collusion needed to exploit such a system is ostensible. once someone does it, it will spread and everybody will exploit it.

a smarter solution will be needed to tackle the "CTF farming", I don't think freezing the flag if a % of losing team quits will be able to do the trick.

[CooperO 7,956]

How is it fathomable that the developers allow flags to be capped when a match starts and teams are drastically unbalanced? For example, I just left a match where to start it was 7vs2 and the score was 5-0 before the teams became remotely balanced. Of course the leading team continues to have more players since tankers will always join a winning team first. This kill the game play. I would like to think that more players would have good sportsmanship and would not farm flags under those circumstances, but unfortunately too many tankers are pathetic worms that have no concept of competition. 

 

So, it begs the question -  why is this a problem to begin with? Why not fix this easily correctable problem to better game play for all instead of jerk around with MU ratios for MO players? Would love to get a reasonable answer to this, but unfortunately none of the admin will have the guts to respond with anything remotely resembling logic. 

This is a problem to begin with, because of the incredible variety in players, with each their own points of views and characteristics. Not every player sees it as a bad thing to cap flags when the teams are uneven and not every player cares about the concequences of his or her actions for other players. 

The reason why there hasn't been implemented a proper system to avoid this kind of thing has been explained by my colleague already.

If you have any suggestions on a foolproof system, then please post it in the topic linked below. If you have any ideas on how to improve the suggestion in the below topic, then kindly give your feedback there also.

 

The problem with adding this is that it will restrict people's gameplay, so I think it can only be added as an option for PRO battles. And the idea for this was already posted here, so I don't really see the point of this topic, neither do I see why you didn't post it in the ideas section in the first place.

Lastly, if you want to complain about this aspect of the game, you can do so in the following topic:

Complaint Book 

 

Closed.