Blatant Alt/Friend farming for PvP Marks

[NethrosDefectus]

Is anything being planned to try and combat the massive amount of blatant cheating happening around free ports to obtain PvP marks? 

Even when it is not an alt account is it two "friends" in different nations who just take it in turns to sink the other, usually one just surrenders instantly and the other sinks it via the inspection interface. Some people think they have become smart by boarding the other player first in an attempt to make it look more genuine but it's still really obvious. 

I'm certain I'm not the only one who has noticed it

[Celtiberofrog]

On ‎15‎/‎01‎/‎2018 at 10:29 AM, Celtiberofrog said:

Ships differences...?!

What matters in NA is drastic players differences, the one that are real experts (PVP'ers), the average ones (RVR'ers) and the biginners.

The experts are mostly looking for PVP rewards, they're ready to spend hundreds of hours in NA

While biginners are looking for fun but their interest is fragile.

Issue: PVP'ers affect the player population

Solution:

==> Include a "player skill rank" that can be attached to his name (everyone can see it in OW or in Battles).

==> "Player skill rank" is the addition of kills/boardings

==> The higher the rank the higher the PVP rewards when killed. 

• Biginners will result being lower interest PVP targets.
• Experts will result being the hunted ones, it must be risky to be part of the NA elite players ("Cheaters" will have to assume their risky rank).
• This "player skill rank" would progressively open access to special books as well as 1 life ship modules (not tradable).

 

[Nelsons Barrel]

Every lowrank and/or clanless player who kills another player at a Freeport can basically directly be investigated. 

[Hethwill, the Red Duke]

There's a blatant difference between both chain boarding 2 opponents due to better use of wind ( and ship capabilities ) - seen several cases like this in streams and videos even with sinkings and not boardings under 5 minutes (!)... and simple boarding farming, I assure you.

Do not witch hunt, put down yer torches and pitchforks, but report consciously the odd cases - F11 Exploit - and oh... jump their battles, you'll drive them mad for the interruption and immediately spot the oddity.

[Bristol Fashion]

At what point does having an honest to goodness fun duel with a friend/acquaintance become "friend farming"? If they have spent the money and resources to get the ship, and the ship is lost as a result of the battle, I can't see a practical way to justify punishing this...

The recently killed tag already exists to combat this if they truly are trying to game the system. If they buy their ships and go to fight each other for real, one of them still loses a ship and the resources it took to get it, and the other gains PvP marks, but they can't repeat this quickly due to the recently killed feature.

Edited January 17, 2018 by Bristol Fashion

[RedNeckMilkMan]

6 minutes ago, Bristol Fashion said:

At what point does having an honest to goodness fun duel with a friend/acquaintance become "friend farming"? If they have spent the money and resources to get the ship, and the ship is lost as a result of the battle, I can't see a practical way to justify punishing this...

The recently killed tag already exists to combat this if they truly are trying to game the system. If they buy their ships and go to fight each other for real, one of them still loses a ship and the resources it took to get it, and the other gains PvP marks, but they can't repeat this quickly due to the recently killed feature.

Depends how often this is happening. If it happens everyday because you and your friend "want a duel" then we have a problem. But dueling a dude once or twice is not a bad thing.

You could also duel without sinking a ship.

[Liq]

44 minutes ago, RedNeckMilkMan said:

Depends how often this is happening. If it happens everyday because you and your friend "want a duel" then we have a problem. But dueling a dude once or twice is not a bad thing.

You could also duel without sinking a ship.

From what I know most duelers duel based on the "no sinky" rule and place bets, usually 15 pvp marks, instead

[NethrosDefectus]

6 hours ago, Bristol Fashion said:

At what point does having an honest to goodness fun duel with a friend/acquaintance become "friend farming"? If they have spent the money and resources to get the ship, and the ship is lost as a result of the battle, I can't see a practical way to justify punishing this...

The recently killed tag already exists to combat this if they truly are trying to game the system. If they buy their ships and go to fight each other for real, one of them still loses a ship and the resources it took to get it, and the other gains PvP marks, but they can't repeat this quickly due to the recently killed feature.

When said friend immediately surrenders the ship to a basic cutter?

When said friend doesn't put up sails while the other comes over and boards?

[Jean Ribault]

1 hour ago, NethrosDefectus said:

When said friend immediately surrenders the ship to a basic cutter?

When said friend doesn't put up sails while the other comes over and boards?

 

Yes, that example would be farming.

But isn't green on green allowed where both parties agree to this?  I thought I recall admin saying this in another thread, correct me if I'm wrong.  For example, two family members playing together, practicing together.

The problem is more the system than the people farming it.  Get rid of that stupid system, and the problem disappears..

[Bristol Fashion]

2 hours ago, NethrosDefectus said:

When said friend immediately surrenders the ship to a basic cutter?

When said friend doesn't put up sails while the other comes over and boards?

You still haven't addressed the main point of my post, even if they surrender their ship, the outcome is the same as if they had fought out an hour long duel, one of them still lost their ship, which means all of the money and resources that went into the ship. Whether they put up an honest fight or not, nothing is different here from any other fight that happens in the game. One player spent resources to acquire a ship, the ship was sunk, and PvP marks were awarded. The method of its loss is hardly important since the devs have already protected us all from farming through the Recently Killed mechanic.

[NethrosDefectus]

1 hour ago, Jean Ribault said:

 

Yes, that example would be farming.

But isn't green on green allowed where both parties agree to this?  I thought I recall admin saying this in another thread, correct me if I'm wrong.  For example, two family members playing together, practicing together.

The problem is more the system than the people farming it.  Get rid of that stupid system, and the problem disappears..

I am not talking about green on green. For example one player is swedish and the other british, they take it in turns to surrender and the otehr sinks it for pvp marks. This is an agreed to arrangement to obtain pvp marks "illegally"

[Jean Ribault]

12 minutes ago, NethrosDefectus said:

I am not talking about green on green. For example one player is swedish and the other british, they take it in turns to surrender and the otehr sinks it for pvp marks. This is an agreed to arrangement to obtain pvp marks "illegally"

 

Yeah I shouldn't have said green on green, poor choice of terms on my part.

[Farrago]

If player surrenders and then his ship is sunk, does the "victor" still get PVP Marks? I thought no PVP Marks are awarded if the other guy surrenders. 

[Liq]

6 minutes ago, Farrago said:

If player surrenders and then his ship is sunk, does the "victor" still get PVP Marks? I thought no PVP Marks are awarded if the other guy surrenders. 

you can still sink a surrendered ship from the cargo hold screen, prevents trolling / griefing in terms of surrendering on purpose so the enemy doesnt get marks

[Farrago]

1 hour ago, Liq said:

you can still sink a surrendered ship from the cargo hold screen, prevents trolling / griefing in terms of surrendering on purpose so the enemy doesnt get marks

But I guess it does make farming marks quicker.

Thanks for the answer. 

BTW I didn't want to imply that I thought farming was a big problem. I learned long ago that to worry about how others played (or pretended to play) a game ultimately only added stress to my game. If some "cheat" to get stuff, that's there problem. If the only way to get stuff is cheating, then it's the game's problem.

Edited January 17, 2018 by Farrago

[Mrdoomed]

There isn't enough individual players left to matter at this point. When i finally gave up and quit i know my faction had more alt accounts than players and every time i was lucky enough to actually find a player to attack i would immediately get a message saying hey leave me alone this is so and so alt and if you sink me out clan will hunt you forever.

Might as well let the 40 guys left playing dowhatever they want lol.

I started playing pirates of the Burning Sea again and see how good naval action could have been before it was killed.

Such a shame.

[Farrago]

2 minutes ago, Mrdoomed said:

There isn't enough individual players left to matter at this point. When i finally gave up and quit i know my faction had more alt accounts than players and every time i was lucky enough to actually find a player to attack i would immediately get a message saying hey leave me alone this is so and so alt and if you sink me out clan will hunt you forever.

Might as well let the 40 guys left playing dowhatever they want lol.

I started playing pirates of the Burning Sea again and see how good naval action could have been before it was killed.

Such a shame.

There's no denying there are a lot of ALTS but at any one time there are hundreds of players. And if you're only running in to ALTS who belong to players you know, you need to get out more. On the open sea, all ALTS are players. They sink just the same.

[Mrdoomed]

8 minutes ago, Farrago said:

There's no denying there are a lot of ALTS but at any one time there are hundreds of players. And if you're only running in to ALTS who belong to players you know, you need to get out more. On the open sea, all ALTS are players. They sink just the same.

I was on US server and there was never more than about 50 people on once naval action started its dive into bad ideas so there was never hundreds on like in EU server. 

I found it easy and more fun to go back to potbs because wasting time in NA ( which will never be released for real) was pointless and zero fun anymore.

To each there own and i got my 40 bucks worth outa the game but the devs only listened to a few select players and basically built a game for those few plsyers....now all that's left is those few players.

Pirates of the Burning Sea isnt perfect but its way more fun now. Sad really.

[Barbancourt]

5 hours ago, Bristol Fashion said:

You still haven't addressed the main point of my post, even if they surrender their ship, the outcome is the same as if they had fought out an hour long duel, one of them still lost their ship, which means all of the money and resources that went into the ship. Whether they put up an honest fight or not, nothing is different here from any other fight that happens in the game. One player spent resources to acquire a ship, the ship was sunk, and PvP marks were awarded. The method of its loss is hardly important since the devs have already protected us all from farming through the Recently Killed mechanic.

Ships are basically free.

[NethrosDefectus]

12 hours ago, Bristol Fashion said:

You still haven't addressed the main point of my post, even if they surrender their ship, the outcome is the same as if they had fought out an hour long duel, one of them still lost their ship, which means all of the money and resources that went into the ship. Whether they put up an honest fight or not, nothing is different here from any other fight that happens in the game. One player spent resources to acquire a ship, the ship was sunk, and PvP marks were awarded. The method of its loss is hardly important since the devs have already protected us all from farming through the Recently Killed mechanic.

Well, you buy a ship from a free port for say 100k, that ship gives 6 pvp marks and 120k reward. Do the maths. Maybe I am not clear on MY point. I shall give an example.

Jim: Hey Barry I want some pvp marks, how about we but cheap ships from La Mona and start a battle then you instantly surrender and I'll come over and inspect the ship and sink it.

Barry: But wont that cost money?

Jim: Nah, its all good, the cash reward is high than the cost of the ship so if we just take it in turns to surrender once an hour we can get PvP marks and make a profit.

Barry: That's a good idea actually, and hey while we wait for the "recently killed" timer to expire we can just do our regular missions and then meet back up at La Mona after an hour.

Jim: But wait, pesky players might catch on and report us if it looks a bit strange in combat news actually, I've got it, you just dont put sails up and I'll come over and board. Then it'll look genuine!

Barry: Good point, how awesome are we?!

Edited January 18, 2018 by NethrosDefectus