Ok, I'm gettin a bit tired of this, someone comes in, hosts a game, then spends the next several hours with his hands down his pants while people jump in and wait for a game to start. Then they wait, and wait, and wait, and leave while the host remains oblivious, more concerned with his hands in his pants than his battle room.
Can we please have a feature that closes an open game when the host is afk for too long?
Feature Request: Afk hosts = teh boot
Moderator: Moderators
Well, I think that is pretty stupid.
Most of the afk hosts host a game that says, "AFK" or "NO GAME". If people just READ the game name and description beforehand, it will stop posts like these.
If the host doesn't say he is afk when he is ingame. Just ask him if s/he is here, if not, then leave. Also, they implemented the /ring command for a reason too... But if the noob still sits in the room for 20 mins, then he deserves it.
I made a room x-mas eve that said, "NO GAME. Merry x-mas. Leave a msg." I only got a few ppl that actually read it and left a merry christmas message. Other newbs just came in and said, "OMG lets play, are you there? Lets play. GOGOGOGOOG. PLAY PLZ. GO PLZ. OMG a vET. Lets 1v1. Teams? New map plz. I don't have this map. Hello? Anyone there?"
There is a good reason why you should read the game description anyway.
Most of the afk hosts host a game that says, "AFK" or "NO GAME". If people just READ the game name and description beforehand, it will stop posts like these.
If the host doesn't say he is afk when he is ingame. Just ask him if s/he is here, if not, then leave. Also, they implemented the /ring command for a reason too... But if the noob still sits in the room for 20 mins, then he deserves it.
I made a room x-mas eve that said, "NO GAME. Merry x-mas. Leave a msg." I only got a few ppl that actually read it and left a merry christmas message. Other newbs just came in and said, "OMG lets play, are you there? Lets play. GOGOGOGOOG. PLAY PLZ. GO PLZ. OMG a vET. Lets 1v1. Teams? New map plz. I don't have this map. Hello? Anyone there?"
There is a good reason why you should read the game description anyway.
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Machiosabre
- Posts: 1474
- Joined: 25 Dec 2005, 22:56
Maybe quit treating posters with disrespect. Just because you get your schoolbooks knocked out of your hands and lose your lunchmoney every day doesn't mean your contribution to the forums should be pointless flames.
There's no good reason for a long idle game room to stay open, or at least not warn players that the host has been idle for X number of hours. There's already a system for reporting idle players in the playerlist, so half the work is already done. We have icons for open rooms, locked rooms, password rooms, and busy rooms. Using the idle symbol over an open room would be a small but significant improvement.
Idle open battlerooms just inconvienance players looking for a game. I can't imagine anyone can come up with a good reason why long standing idle battlerooms should not be labeled.
There's no good reason for a long idle game room to stay open, or at least not warn players that the host has been idle for X number of hours. There's already a system for reporting idle players in the playerlist, so half the work is already done. We have icons for open rooms, locked rooms, password rooms, and busy rooms. Using the idle symbol over an open room would be a small but significant improvement.
Idle open battlerooms just inconvienance players looking for a game. I can't imagine anyone can come up with a good reason why long standing idle battlerooms should not be labeled.
I've talked to Zaphod, he's worked off his feet. I imagine it would be hard to decide what do work on when there are tons of these minor features being requested, but at the same time things that *really* need doing. Like fixing engine flaws, adding new functionality... This isn't a good time for minor and, ultimately, completely unnecessary feature requests.
I appreciate that you mean well, but this really just isn't that sort of improvement that's needed right now. What's needed are feature requests which involve minimal work but maximum improvement. For instance, a global server-side damage modifier would be pretty simple to implemnt, according to a couple of knowledgeable people I've talked to. This would lend the game a ton of new gameplay.
How about an FBI tag that makes units be permanently airborne? All this would involve is, "if spaceship=1 disable landing". No large amount of new code would be necessary, all that would need to be done is a check for a tag and if that tag's present, disable already-existing code.
How about an FBI tag that makes a unit not maneuver while airborne? This, combined with the previous tag, would make space-themed a much closer possibility and, again, involves only turning off existing code if a tag is in place.
These sorts of suggestions, in my vaguely-knowledgeable opinion, are the best kind and what's needed most right now. (besides major things like new GUI, etc)
I appreciate that you mean well, but this really just isn't that sort of improvement that's needed right now. What's needed are feature requests which involve minimal work but maximum improvement. For instance, a global server-side damage modifier would be pretty simple to implemnt, according to a couple of knowledgeable people I've talked to. This would lend the game a ton of new gameplay.
How about an FBI tag that makes units be permanently airborne? All this would involve is, "if spaceship=1 disable landing". No large amount of new code would be necessary, all that would need to be done is a check for a tag and if that tag's present, disable already-existing code.
How about an FBI tag that makes a unit not maneuver while airborne? This, combined with the previous tag, would make space-themed a much closer possibility and, again, involves only turning off existing code if a tag is in place.
These sorts of suggestions, in my vaguely-knowledgeable opinion, are the best kind and what's needed most right now. (besides major things like new GUI, etc)
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SwiftSpear
- Classic Community Lead
- Posts: 7287
- Joined: 12 Aug 2005, 09:29
A. betalord makes client, not zaphod... not to say that betalord doesn't work his feet off, but meh
B. "people work hard" is not a good reason to not include simple features.
C. What kind of a dick opens up a non passworded game called "no game here, don't join"? WE HAVE PASSWORD AND LOCK FEATURES FOR A REASON. I don't care what your game is named, an AFK host can have thier game blocked from view, the lobby is not your personal billboard. If I can't/shouldn't be joining thier game then there is no reason for me to see it at all.
B. "people work hard" is not a good reason to not include simple features.
C. What kind of a dick opens up a non passworded game called "no game here, don't join"? WE HAVE PASSWORD AND LOCK FEATURES FOR A REASON. I don't care what your game is named, an AFK host can have thier game blocked from view, the lobby is not your personal billboard. If I can't/shouldn't be joining thier game then there is no reason for me to see it at all.
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RandomUser
- Posts: 11
- Joined: 29 Nov 2005, 16:29
I completely agree with SwiftSpear ...
Besides implementing a procedure like "if player is host and player is idle then mark open game as idle" or something like that shouldn't be too hard.
Of course Betalord should first fix the hosting system back to the way it used to be so I and others are able to host non-afk games again :)
Besides implementing a procedure like "if player is host and player is idle then mark open game as idle" or something like that shouldn't be too hard.
Of course Betalord should first fix the hosting system back to the way it used to be so I and others are able to host non-afk games again :)
Apparentlly me. It also appears very few of you play online games at all b/c this happens everywhere in every online game. There are afk hosts. Besides, lots of ppl like to host a chat game. It is easier to get certain ppl in there that you want and kick the rest. Creating a channel you can't do that.SwiftSpear wrote:C. What kind of a dick opens up a non passworded game called "no game here, don't join"? WE HAVE PASSWORD AND LOCK FEATURES FOR A REASON. I don't care what your game is named, an AFK host can have thier game blocked from view, the lobby is not your personal billboard. If I can't/shouldn't be joining thier game then there is no reason for me to see it at all.
Ever play on zone? You always read the game description b4 entering.
"Well make it passworded if you don't want to play a real game." Again, I like to host a training game every now and then. With the rank != skill, I don't just want to invite a newb (or worse, a stupid smurf). I use passworded games if I have just friends I want to help out, but you can always use more novices to even out the teams.
But like I said before, not all afk hosts say "no game". If you want to implement like an "A" symbol on the game status icon for a host thats been idle for 5+ mins, be my guest, but it also never hurts to read the game description anyway. It will still save a lotta headaches.
As far as I've seen no, I only see wether a player is ingame, or what country they're from, everything else is based upon the status of the game room they're inside (locked/passworded/ingame/full etc).
btw does anybody knwo howto change your nationality in the side thing? I'm being told I'm american on both of my computers but I know my feet are on brittish territory.
btw does anybody knwo howto change your nationality in the side thing? I'm being told I'm american on both of my computers but I know my feet are on brittish territory.
oh come on, Alantai, the Americans won the war 222 years ago, it's about time you get over it.Alantai Firestar wrote:...I'm being told I'm american on both of my computers but I know my feet are on brittish territory.
I am just poking fun, of course. Out of curiosity, which British territory are you referring to?
This happens with my friend too, what ISP are you with?Alantai Firestar wrote:As far as I've seen no, I only see wether a player is ingame, or what country they're from, everything else is based upon the status of the game room they're inside (locked/passworded/ingame/full etc).
btw does anybody knwo howto change your nationality in the side thing? I'm being told I'm american on both of my computers but I know my feet are on brittish territory.
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SwiftSpear
- Classic Community Lead
- Posts: 7287
- Joined: 12 Aug 2005, 09:29
Create a passworded game, distribute password via chat. If you are going to create a game for newbies only you are absolutly free to put that in the text. If you are going to create a game and then sit there idle for 4 hours because you got bored of waiting when no one showed up after ten minutes, then there is no reason to keep your game open after client establishes that there is absolutly no activity going on in the game's channel.BadMan wrote:Apparentlly me. It also appears very few of you play online games at all b/c this happens everywhere in every online game. There are afk hosts. Besides, lots of ppl like to host a chat game. It is easier to get certain ppl in there that you want and kick the rest. Creating a channel you can't do that.SwiftSpear wrote:C. What kind of a dick opens up a non passworded game called "no game here, don't join"? WE HAVE PASSWORD AND LOCK FEATURES FOR A REASON. I don't care what your game is named, an AFK host can have thier game blocked from view, the lobby is not your personal billboard. If I can't/shouldn't be joining thier game then there is no reason for me to see it at all.
Ever play on zone? You always read the game description b4 entering.
"Well make it passworded if you don't want to play a real game." Again, I like to host a training game every now and then. With the rank != skill, I don't just want to invite a newb (or worse, a stupid smurf). I use passworded games if I have just friends I want to help out, but you can always use more novices to even out the teams.
But like I said before, not all afk hosts say "no game". If you want to implement like an "A" symbol on the game status icon for a host thats been idle for 5+ mins, be my guest, but it also never hurts to read the game description anyway. It will still save a lotta headaches.
WTF is a "chat game"? You know that you can create your own client channels right? people don't have to join games with eachother to be able to chat privately or in small groups.
[edit] to make it very clear, I have nothing against people defining special rules for thier games and kicking people who don't abide by those, and in that case it's best to advertize that in a game description. What I'm saying is that there is no reason to leave games with no host activity at all up on the client list. Locked games and games in process should probably be optionally blockable from veiw as well, expecially with the steadily growing player numbers that will drive up the number of games at any given time. Client is not a billboard. Game titles are not your avenue for public communication. Game titles should either be totally irrellevent in which case the user will assume it's a vanilla rules game of whatever the style match is, or describe the special rules the host want's to play with.