"Friendly" players sinking the ship you tagged and are capturing.

[Bert Beard]

I've had this happen about 1/3 of the time I tag a lone ship with contraband with no one else close by and before the battle closes other players are able to enter the battle and prevent me from taking my prize.

 

They can easily catch up because by this time I have taken down most of my targets sails and slowed us both down to under 5 knots. 

They interfere, shoot at my target and me if I'm in the way and try their best to sink the ship before I can capture it.

 

I had one asshole in a smaller ship actually wedge himself between me and the ship I was capturing just as I was starting to pull.

He damaged my ship causing flooding and probably to his ship too, I was able to force him off because I had a larger ship and finally make the capture.......and stop the flooding.

 

I can't believe this behavior.......If I see a "friendly" player tagging a ship first and then capturing it I let them have their prize.

 

Once, another player joined in and I told him it was my tag and I was capturing and he offered assistance with demasting rather than catching up and trying to sink my prize.......and I thanked him for his help.

 

 

There has got to be a way to stop this behavior.

[Cmdr Thrudd]

Unfortunately internet anonymity seems to allow folks to act with impunity and MMO's rarely put a decent justice system in to punish bad behaviour so folks act like asshats because they can get away with it. How people choose to act with the threat of retribution removed says a lot about their character.

[Admiral 8Q]

Unfortunately internet anonymity seems to allow folks to act with impunity and MMO's rarely put a decent justice system in to punish bad behaviour so folks act like asshats because they can get away with it. How people choose to act with the threat of retribution removed says a lot about their character.

Yes. It's like people that have that mentality of "Why bother stopping at a red light or using turning signals if the cops aren't watching me."

[Robaroo]

Best thing to do is to get away from them all. Ive moved to my own little quiet location and can hit them in peace anytime i like

[Ghroznak]

Friendly players sinking the AI Trader ships you are trying to capture should be filed under Team Attack and handled as such for the Tribunal.

[Hexcaliber]

Best thing to do is to get away from them all. Ive moved to my own little quiet location and can hit them in peace anytime i like

Players should not have to waste time moving to quiet corners of the map just to avoid this, doing so isolates them from other aspects of game play because of the relatively long travel times. The game should provide mechanics to avoid any griefing, it is not difficult programmatically, several mechanics have been proposed that would address the situation.They are aware its an issue but seem incapable or unwilling to act allowing it to drag on.

 

It is easy enough to ask for a group in chat if folks want to group or they are afraid of being ganked, that is a choice. Right now, not only do current mechanics remove players choice, they allow blatant griefing without recourse. If the developers want a true pvp game have done with it, and allow players to shoot unwanted friendlies in an instance, or police the damn game and sort out mechanics that allow any sort of griefing; they cannot have it both ways.

 

They keep talking about players behaving like gentlemen, all that ended when they opened the gates to steam. Frankly, the developers are naive allowing it to continue as long as it has, if it continues many decent players will walk. Personally, I refuse to play further unless its sorted, I have no interest in developers seemingly happy for griefing to continue without allowing players some level of recourse, nor am I going to keep hanging around complaining about the issue.

Edited February 19, 2016 by Hexcaliber

[Jackson]

They can easily catch up because by this time I have taken down most of my targets sails and slowed us both down to under 5 knots. 

 

Wait!

 

Player can only enter 5 minutes after a battle started.

 

You are able to demast a trader in less then 5 minutes, where most people need those 5 minutes to catch them, but you are not able to outcap your "opponent"?

 

The math just dont work.

 

Anyway, forget the sailpart. Grape him, crash him, board him and be out in less then 5 minutes. Oh, you will get a leak from the crash, dont hit 8 while boarding and klick survival with your mouse. Using 8 sometimes cancels the boarding.

[Long Beard]

We can look at this in two ways. 

 

1. They're pirates and think they have a right to anything that sails.

2. They're simply griefers who think it's cool or funny to spoil someones day.

 

I wouldn't mind instance 1 so much if green on green wasn't against the rules. If the devs don't build in some kind of mechanic to prevent this with say, 'give the player who initiated combat the ability to lock other players out', then having the ability to fight and sink these guys (assuming you can) should be an option. As it stands, if you retaliate (with guns), you're breaking the rules.

 

Instance 2 is easy enough to deal with without mechanics by the devs going on record and saying it's against the rules to grief another player trying to capture a trade ship if they are the party who initiated combat.

 

With all that said, I've taken many trade ships when someone has joined before the 5 minute timer locks them out. I've just said, "no assistance required, thanks matey", and they've all left. I've never had a griefer.  Maybe because I'm in a clan they know they'll be black listed?

 

Anyway, the other way to deal with this is to join a clan and make the perpetrator know that you're recording and they'll be named and shamed as well as being blacklisted and KOS'd by your clan. Furthermore, get a few of your clan guys together and actually hunt and kill him a few times so he gets the message.

 

Always record your gaming sessions.  I generally add players to my personal KOS list if I see them hunting other pirates. I'll add them to the list if I see video proof of them doing things like griefing.

Edited February 19, 2016 by Long Beard

[Powellz]

So let me get this straight, You don't want to play this game any longer because people can grief you in a massive open world "sandbox" pvp based game? I think you should find a better game if you think the devs will get around to fixing this "issue" anytime soon. It's happened to me, You know what I did? I sank the ass-hat, I lost exp but he lost a durability and I still managed to capture the traders brig I was after.

 

This issue will never be fixed, get over it. There is not too many players in this game yet, get to a less populated area and no one will be jumping in to mess up your fun. Trying to capture and board ships off a major port.. well you're asking to get griefed.

 

This is the internet and a massive online game, expect trolls, griefers and what have you.

[Vllad]

I don't see any problem with this mechanic. This allows players to jump into your battle to help. This allows higher level players to get newbs used to boarding. This allows for multiple smaller ships to board bigger ones.

 

If the down side is someone can jump in your battle and take a Trader ship then I can live with it.

 

If you don't like it then go straight for the Trader ship and board her. If you can't do it first then you don't deserve the trader. If a few grape shots happen to hit the intruder while he is boarding the trader that would be too bad.

 

The OP says "their has to be a way to deal with this behavior". Their are plenty of game mechanics that allow you to deal with this situation

Edited February 19, 2016 by Vllad

[Taralin Snow]

I understand why this can be a problem, but the current mechanic actually does have value.

 

I think what would be workable would be to grant the initial attacker and defender a special role in a battle.  Let's call them the 'prime' attacker and 'prime' defender.  The prime attacker is the person who tagged the target on the open sea, and the prime defender is the specific captain who was targeted.

 

Within the battle, when people join the attacker's team, the prime attacker is allowed to redesignate them as 'neutral' instead of 'attacker'.  this makes them attackable by both the attacker and defender.  Likewise, when people join the defender's team, the prime defender is allowed to redesignate them as 'neutral' instead of 'defender', which again makes them attackable by both sides.

 

In this way, you can decline help on either side, and enforce your decision without resorting to green on green damage.  I think this is what we really need -- an "official" way to declare, "no, I do not want your help, go away or I'll treat you as an enemy".  potentially, you could even use this mechanic to get rid of worthless NPCs on your own side who try to sink the ship you're working on capturing.

[Ghroznak]

potentially, you could even use this mechanic to get rid of worthless NPCs on your own side who try to sink the ship you're working on capturing.

You know can just press M while in battle and set your NPCs to Retreat or Hold Fire?

[Long Beard]

It's happened to me, You know what I did? I sank the ass-hat, I lost exp but he lost a durability and I still managed to capture the traders brig I was after.

 

Do that now and you could be reported and banned, hence the need for a preventative mechanic or the right to attack those who try to take your trader.

 

http://forum.game-labs.net/index.php?/topic/6419-warning-friendly-kills-for-all-nations-are-not-allowed/

[Taralin Snow]

You know can just press M while in battle and set your NPCs to Retreat or Hold Fire?

 

I know this can be done with fleet escorts (pets).  but does it work for the random NPCs who get pulled into a battle from the OS, or with reinforcements?  can anybody on your side do this or only the person who initiated the battle?

[Bach]

If two pirates or privateers spy the same fat prize then there is going to be a race and a competition to get it first.

Let's take the case of two pirates.

Pirate A tags the merchant. pirate B jumps in. They don't have green on green rules so they simply fight it out and all is fair.

So let's look at two privateers, from the same nation, because that's a green on green situation.

Priv A tags a fat merchant. Priv B needs that bounty and cargo so he wants it just as much. Now the government gives them letters of marque only for enemies. After all there may be British sailors on both boats. So the firing of a weapon by on on the other is cause for tribunal. But that doesn't mean there won't still be stealing of wind, blocking of positioning to board and possibly even cutting the pulling lines of the other Priv. It's a rough world out there and to the victor go the spoils. I'm sure this situation occurred more than once in real life.

I describe the second scenario for a time when shooting each other is in fact against the rules but other means to beat the opponent to the prize are not. In which case the current mechanic is sound and works for both pirate and Priv. The only caveat I see is when the joiner Priv was not really from the same government as the tagger. If a state of war exists between the two the pirate rules for green on green should be applied. It might be easier to just program a jump in, that isn't from the same nation, but choosing to represent the same side, simply fall under the pirate rule and allow the tagger to shoot them.

Edited February 19, 2016 by Bach

[Admiral 8Q]

I think that's the reason the devs allow only one account. If you think you can run amok for a long time, it won't work. You will become known as infamously stupid.

[Vllad]

I don't understand why people think just because they start an encounter that it magically makes everything in that encounter belong to them. NA doesn't work that way. Initiating an encounter means nothing. If you want something inside the encounter then go take it.

 

Who ever said that tagging something gave you some special rights to the encounter anyway?

 

Based on this logic when I initiate a PVP encounter no one else should be allowed to participate?

Edited February 19, 2016 by Vllad

[Admiral 8Q]

I don't understand why people think just because they start an encounter that it magically makes everything in that encounter belong to them. NA doesn't work that way. Initiating an encounter means nothing. If you want something inside the encounter then go take it.

 

Who ever said that tagging something gave you some special rights to the encounter anyway?

 

Based on this logic when I initiate and PVP encounter no one else should be allowed to participate?

Well said. If others are nearby the battle, they can join if they want to. 

 

[Captain Marell]

I don't understand why people think just because they start an encounter that it magically makes everything in that encounter belong to them. NA doesn't work that way. Initiating an encounter means nothing. If you want something inside the encounter then go take it.

 

Who ever said that tagging something gave you some special rights to the encounter anyway?

 

Based on this logic when I initiate and PVP encounter no one else should be allowed to participate?

 

The problem and you know it is that the green on green mechanics prevent actual fighting for it.  In an actual chase there would be nothing stopping a pirate ship from attacking a french ship hunting a british ship.  The same could NOT be said for a french player and a french player hunting a british ship.  Both are bound by law, not to attack each other. 

[Vllad]

The problem and you know it is that the green on green mechanics prevent actual fighting for it.  In an actual chase there would be nothing stopping a pirate ship from attacking a french ship hunting a british ship.  The same could NOT be said for a french player and a french player hunting a british ship.  Both are bound by law, not to attack each other. 

 

 

Again, to the two Frenchmen chasing the Trader down. The Trader doesn't belong to the person who starts the encounter. It belongs to the person to boards and captures the ship. Tagging an encounter gives no rights to the tagger. Why should it?

[Dharus]

The problem and you know it is that the green on green mechanics prevent actual fighting for it.  In an actual chase there would be nothing stopping a pirate ship from attacking a french ship hunting a british ship.  The same could NOT be said for a french player and a french player hunting a british ship.  Both are bound by law, not to attack each other.

What you are really missing is that it IS avoidable. Attack trader's of the same nation as the nationals in the area. If you attacked a french trader, french players can only join the french side.

You want PvE flexibility as a pirate but the system in place allows other nations to "act" pirate too. You cannot have your cake and eat it too.

[Captain Marell]

Who's saying it belongs to anyone? Stop putting words into other peoples mouths.  Stop assuming that because you found an exploit we all don't want to actually PVP.  We should be fighting over it.

 

Because I know that if I get to it first, even if I capture it you will sink it because that's what you did last night. 

Edited February 19, 2016 by Captain Marell

[Dharus]

Who's saying it belongs to anyone? Stop putting words into other peoples mouths.  Stop assuming that because you found an exploit we all don't want to actually PVP.  We should be fighting over it.

 

Because I know that if I get to it first, even if I capture it you will sink it because that's what you did last night. 

 

Speaking of assuming... I wasn't involved in last night at all.

[Captain Marell]

My apologies that was aimed at Vllad, who to be fair continued to put words in my mouth in another thread and already admitted to doing what I stated but that discussion is over.

 

Edit: Changed cause thought this was the other thread.  

Edited February 20, 2016 by Captain Marell

[Bert Beard]

The situation that made me start this thread is when someone else joins a battle within the 5 min period allowed and see's the person who tagged the contraband ship already demasting and preparing to board this ship........I'm sure most of you know it takes at least a few minutes to demast a ship so you can board........don't you have to both slow down to under 5 knots ???

 

So they quickly catch up ( it isn't hard ) and either begin to sink the already helpless ( damaged sails ) contraband ship or try to force the original player off his boarding attempt and try to board this ship themselves.

 

In affect, steal the prize from the player who tagged and did all the work of demasting this ship. 

 

No one has succeeded in boarding the ship I was trying to board .........but when the prize is sunk instead then at least they prevented me from claiming my prize.

 

This would piss just about anyone off.........except those that would do that to another friendly player.

Edited February 20, 2016 by Bert Beard