08-02-2025, 06:01 AM
OK... someone said this thread was overkill, but having returned not long ago and mostly playing late nights due to work and family obligations, I noticed from my perspective that this kind of leeching was widespread and commonly accepted. Before I started doing my job and taking action, I wanted to make sure that others also saw it is an issue. Yes, there are other issues also at play, but at least this one can be addressed in some fashion.
Things to note:
Players would like a forum to provide ongoing feedback on maps.
Kill/Death counts are not the measure of a persons contributions to the run.
Some people just want to chill and kick back, without putting out too much effort.
What are my conclusions:
As long as a player is contributing to the run in accordance with the difficulty of the run, the situation, and their own abilities then there is no issue.
What do I mean by that...
I understand that every class has their role given the situation, which can lead to some players being more active than others at certain times. It depends on the map, the barricade spot selected, the composition of the team, that composition of the specific wave, and the game mode, just to name a few factors.
If all you want to do is casually play the game, banter with your friends, tab out to different windows, and basically have a low level of effort expended, then Normal is the place for you. Your individual contributions are not likely to make or break the run. The exception of course being that if the run is full and you are AFK for extended periods, then you will get kicked.
(And while we are mentioning AFK, if you are going AFK, then announce it and allow yourself to actually go AFK after the timer expires. If you are present enough to do something to prevent the timer from ending your gold/exp/loot then you are not really AFK. Going forward, I will start kicking those I see doing this.)
Next, if you want to play in Hard mode where the rewards are greater, then the expectations of you from your team are also greater. You are expected to play your role as appropriate for the situation at a reasonable level. This includes but is not limited to re spawning your gear for others to use if you have some shiny bling, bringing support items appropriate for the mode, being active in each and every wave. Don't bring a normal cade or a simple medic box.. those belong on Normal. Your support should be at minimum a Heavy cade or a Field Surgeon's kit. But don't use my words to just bring in the minimum. If you have better stuff, help your team out and bring it, in every sense of the phrase.
Lastly, for Ragnarok mode. This is currently the hardest mode and has the greatest reward. If you play Ragnarok mode, then there is the highest of expectations of you from your team. Again, play your role as required by the situation to the best of your ability and there is no problem. There will be no tolerance for selective contribution, not bringing support, frequent periods of inaction when it is not appropriate for your role or the situation. You can consider this your first warning. I may or may not provide a 2nd before kicking someone from a run.
Those who know me will know that I have seldom actually kicked or even red-texted players, so I don't take these actions lightly and would prefer if we could all just play the game and have fun while fulfilling the expectations of our team. If you don't want to meet those expectations, then you don't have to. You can play in Normal mode where the expectations are at a minimum. If you make the choice to play the harder modes, then be prepared to put out the effort... consistently.
Last comment. I know that some have stated that the rules don't say I have to do this, or I have to do that, or I can't do x y z. There is one rule that should cover all of this that has been in the rules for some time.....
"Do make a reasonable effort to support the team. Do not use low-tier equipment as an excuse to not contribute to the team (especially as a high-tier player)."
Make a reasonable effort to support the team... that is all it takes.
/cheers
Spirit
Things to note:
Players would like a forum to provide ongoing feedback on maps.
Kill/Death counts are not the measure of a persons contributions to the run.
Some people just want to chill and kick back, without putting out too much effort.
What are my conclusions:
As long as a player is contributing to the run in accordance with the difficulty of the run, the situation, and their own abilities then there is no issue.
What do I mean by that...
I understand that every class has their role given the situation, which can lead to some players being more active than others at certain times. It depends on the map, the barricade spot selected, the composition of the team, that composition of the specific wave, and the game mode, just to name a few factors.
If all you want to do is casually play the game, banter with your friends, tab out to different windows, and basically have a low level of effort expended, then Normal is the place for you. Your individual contributions are not likely to make or break the run. The exception of course being that if the run is full and you are AFK for extended periods, then you will get kicked.
(And while we are mentioning AFK, if you are going AFK, then announce it and allow yourself to actually go AFK after the timer expires. If you are present enough to do something to prevent the timer from ending your gold/exp/loot then you are not really AFK. Going forward, I will start kicking those I see doing this.)
Next, if you want to play in Hard mode where the rewards are greater, then the expectations of you from your team are also greater. You are expected to play your role as appropriate for the situation at a reasonable level. This includes but is not limited to re spawning your gear for others to use if you have some shiny bling, bringing support items appropriate for the mode, being active in each and every wave. Don't bring a normal cade or a simple medic box.. those belong on Normal. Your support should be at minimum a Heavy cade or a Field Surgeon's kit. But don't use my words to just bring in the minimum. If you have better stuff, help your team out and bring it, in every sense of the phrase.
Lastly, for Ragnarok mode. This is currently the hardest mode and has the greatest reward. If you play Ragnarok mode, then there is the highest of expectations of you from your team. Again, play your role as required by the situation to the best of your ability and there is no problem. There will be no tolerance for selective contribution, not bringing support, frequent periods of inaction when it is not appropriate for your role or the situation. You can consider this your first warning. I may or may not provide a 2nd before kicking someone from a run.
Those who know me will know that I have seldom actually kicked or even red-texted players, so I don't take these actions lightly and would prefer if we could all just play the game and have fun while fulfilling the expectations of our team. If you don't want to meet those expectations, then you don't have to. You can play in Normal mode where the expectations are at a minimum. If you make the choice to play the harder modes, then be prepared to put out the effort... consistently.
Last comment. I know that some have stated that the rules don't say I have to do this, or I have to do that, or I can't do x y z. There is one rule that should cover all of this that has been in the rules for some time.....
"Do make a reasonable effort to support the team. Do not use low-tier equipment as an excuse to not contribute to the team (especially as a high-tier player)."
Make a reasonable effort to support the team... that is all it takes.
/cheers
Spirit