New Rule Suggestion

[AprilWar]

Ban excessive tunnel Arty/Mammy/MRLS camping on Under/Field.

A few players have take upon themselves the task to permanently camp tunnels while alt-tabbing at every single Under/Field map regardless of player count.

They only alt-tab back when they hear OB/AGT shoot, a PM or an EVA notification about their base being under attack or a deployed beacon. How do I know they alt tab? Because many times I'm able to kill their vehicle(s) without them moving if I have reps on me. As soon as they hear their vehicle died they just buy another one and repeat.

Problems with it right now:

• It prolongs matches unnecessarily — especially in Mara mode.
• Unfair to active players — similar to invisi, alt-tabbers can’t be easily countered bc of splash damage mechanics.
• Undermines gameplay — it promotes attrition-based wins instead of rewarding teamwork or individual skill.
• Creates frustration — many players find it discouraging, which leads to more complaints.
• Breaks map design — it renders useless certain map areas that were originally meant for infantry.

 

When you think about, the rule can be very simple:

[✗] DO NOT camp base tunnels excessively with Arty, Mammy, MRLS (+10 mins straight) while all friendly and enemy buildings are up on Under/Field and its variations.

 

I don't think it is a crazy restrictive rule. The following could still be OK:

[✓] Camp base tunnels with arty, mammy, MRLS if any building has been destroyed.

[✓] Camp base tunnels with arty, mammy, MRLS on any other maps that are not Under/Field.

[✓] Camp base tunnels with APC, MED, STANK, ETC on Field/Under at any given time for however long.

[✓] Camp base tunnels with arty, mammy, MRLS if you regularly do other stuff as well (less than 10 mins).

[✓] Camp base tunnels with arty, mammy, MRLS if there are actual enemies where you're shooting.

[✓] Camp field and waterfall entrances with arty, mammy or MRLS (tunnel entrances that do not directly leave to your base, e.g. top tun entrance on Under or waterfall entrance on Field)

[✓] Camp harvester walk path with arty, mammy or MRLS.

[✓] Driving around the base tunnel entrance with arty, mammy or MRLS but not shooting at it constantly for over 10 mins is OK.

 

You could even make it more specific in that the rule only applies to marathon maps.

maybe test it out and if it doesn't work forget about it? thx

[tw1x]

No

[NLsRene]

I do like that idea. I too, find it very annoying. 
 

But the 10+ minute, is very.. very hard for mods to keep track with, so i would leave that out. 
 

The rest i agree. Snow, under, field 👍🏽 

[iK4l3l]

i only do that if someone is base sniping from tunnel

the rule is too detailed, hard to describe it to the players and as nl said hard for mods to keep track of it, so i have doubts

coming to afk arty shooters and afk repairers, i think we should consider them as afk and kick them

many times i witnessed an afk repairer repairing a safe or dead building. as a result its no different than being afk and unfair for his team

[P4LDK]

Another similar issue on Field is Nod snipers camping the GDI tunnel entrance — and yeah, it goes both ways, but this one’s especially frustrating. These snipers often:

 

Pick off players the moment they spawn or step out of the Weapons Factory.

 

Snipe newly purchased MRLS or other vehicles before they can even move.

 

It’s gotten to the point where some GDI players are forced to shoot into their own tunnel just to keep snipers out — which says a lot about how disruptive and unfun this tactic has

become.

[ArcticPrism]

If anything, I think people who are alt tab firing should be considered AFK. You can get into debate on if they are technically AFK or not, but if they alt tabbing like that, they aren't actively playing the game so the end result is the same. I feel like if I'm so busy or bored with the game that I just want to leave it running in the background firing at nothing instead of engaging with it, I should just leave the game.

Too many conditions suggested to really be an enforceable rule, but alt tabbed firing should be considered AFK regardless of map or situation. PM to ask if AFK or do things like nudge them with a vehicle to see if they respond to it or not. They might reply to PM and say "not afk" but if they are pushed and they still fire without any movement they clearly are afk/alt tabbed. If we have to do it more than once per map they should be kicked for AFK

 

 

Edited June 19 by ArcticPrism

[BiLLaBoNg]

1 hour ago, ArcticPrism said:

If anything, I think people who are alt tab firing should be considered AFK. You can get into debate on if they are technically AFK or not, but if they alt tabbing like that, they aren't actively playing the game so the end result is the same. I feel like if I'm so busy or bored with the game that I just want to leave it running in the background firing at nothing instead of engaging with it, I should just leave the game.

Too many conditions suggested to really be an enforceable rule, but alt tabbed firing should be considered AFK regardless of map or situation. PM to ask if AFK or do things like nudge them with a vehicle to see if they respond to it or not. They might reply to PM and say "not afk" but if they are pushed and they still fire without any movement they clearly are afk/alt tabbed. If we have to do it more than once per map they should be kicked for AFK

 

 

Agreed

[mdogg1108]

definitely something that annoys me all the time.

also people even with apcs

hes on my team, no disrrespect, but doomsdai has been camping gdi tunnel on under for like 4 hours now. ive gotten off, ate food, relaxed, and came back and hes still there. my biggest thing is how people have fun like this and that it is also very annoying

[Goztow]

2 hours ago, mdogg1108 said:

definitely something that annoys me all the time.

also people even with apcs

hes on my team, no disrrespect, but doomsdai has been camping gdi tunnel on under for like 4 hours now. ive gotten off, ate food, relaxed, and came back and hes still there. my biggest thing is how people have fun like this and that it is also very annoying

This is exactly why I feel we can't tell people how to play. What's fun for them isn't necessarily the same as what's fun for you. Where will you draw a line? 

If someone is afk meaning he doesn't reply after a pm and you have sufficient info that indicates he is afk, then he can be qkicked. We do it all the time. If this is not the case then I think people should be free to play the game like they wish. There are enough other examples of ingame actions that contribute less than someone camping tunnels with apc or art. 

[ExEric3]

And now another question. When I have activated PM filter on client side and Im not seeing PMs im considered as AFK player? 

[MarcPoulet]

4 hours ago, ExEric3 said:

And now another question. When I have activated PM filter on client side and Im not seeing PMs im considered as AFK player? 

What

[OctoberWar]

12 hours ago, ArcticPrism said:

If anything, I think people who are alt tab firing should be considered AFK. You can get into debate on if they are technically AFK or not, but if they alt tabbing like that, they aren't actively playing the game so the end result is the same. I feel like if I'm so busy or bored with the game that I just want to leave it running in the background firing at nothing instead of engaging with it, I should just leave the game.

Too many conditions suggested to really be an enforceable rule, but alt tabbed firing should be considered AFK regardless of map or situation. PM to ask if AFK or do things like nudge them with a vehicle to see if they respond to it or not. They might reply to PM and say "not afk" but if they are pushed and they still fire without any movement they clearly are afk/alt tabbed. If we have to do it more than once per map they should be kicked for AFK

 

 

Of course they do that.. and I saw the day before yesterday 

In this case, the supervisors can ask the player to stay in a fixed position... whether he is launching missiles and rockets, or repairing buildings, or other things... and I can inform the supervisors of that... the player's name and what he is doing.

I confirmed that.. because I was using Sakura and the other player in the GDI team was using apc and throwing bullets inside the tunnel. I had a rail gun and when I appeared clearly in front of him, he did not kill me and he was throwing bullets in the same place His vehicle was blown up and he was killed while hanging from his keyboard. 

[ArcticPrism]

9 hours ago, ExEric3 said:

And now another question. When I have activated PM filter on client side and Im not seeing PMs im considered as AFK player? 

Someone modding their game client to remove PMs is not something we can reasonably account for when checking if a player is AFK or not. That should be considered a risk the player is taking.

But for people you suspect are alt tab firing you do something  can gently push their vehicle a little bit to see if they react at all as alternative to PMs

[trunkskgb]

People camping tunnels ( I do this, but never AFK ) is part of the game, and a way in which people prefer to play. It’s defense, you know that task that everyone excepts of one another, but no one cares to do so.

With the new mechanics on a map like Field where GDI just walks right into Nod’s base, makes sense for someone to camp, otherwise it’s game over, regardless of timed and marathon.

We all knew this was coming. You play the same map as much as they’re played, people are going to look for new tactics. Well, they think they’re new, but they’re really just old AF and forgotten.

I see this as a strong support tactic, especially if your team controls the field. If you don’t mind not getting many points, but helping your team win by selfless acts of defense, as a team, your will be successful.

[AprilWar]

Alt+tabbers rely on sound to come back to the game. A PM will make a sound, so they will alt+tab back. Better check on them via Chat a couple of times e.g. F2/F3: REDBULL, are you afk? -- that will help.

Edited June 19 by AprilWar

[trunkskgb]

11 minutes ago, AprilWar said:

Alt+tabbers rely on sound to come back to the game. A PM will make a sound, so they will alt+tab back. Better check on them via Chat a couple of times e.g. F2/F3: REDBULL, are you afk? -- that will help.

Can something be written into the game, that when you alt + tab, it’s mutes sounds? I find it hard to believe people do that, but that would solve the problem. Can that be done?

[WNxH3adSh00t]

It's even worse when you find out that certain people basically just sit there actively pressing mouse button one into a tunnel for hours on end. They're not AFK because they actually speak ingame as well while sitting there shooting a tunnel

[InspectorGadget]

penetrating a hole for hours on end.. i wonder why that might seem attractive to some... 

 

in all seriousness i agree with the basic idea of this topic. at least when people are actually going afk to do it. if they aren´t i think i´m with gozy you can´t really force people how to play or not play a game and while super annoying, i don´t think you can moderate that.