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Vendetta Online: Unregulated Toxic Chat simulator with optional lag

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Feb 04, 2017 PaKettle link
100 is what 100 is. Players are in fact free to leave the channel and use the /ignore and /mute commands at leisure...

However at times the chat does get a bit off color and out of hand.
I would suggest that the chat filter be improved to allow phrases be filtered
and allow the guides to add additional filters on whim.

I would also suggest that players below the age of 18 be restricted by default from 100 as well or disable their ability to turn off the chat filter.
Feb 04, 2017 Ore link
"There are not only political rl discussion which are beyond annoying, but also horrible people saying immensely offensive crap. People logging in for hours just to insult any random newbie who has a question while not playing the game by theirself."

You get throw-away alts with names like Trump2017 come into the game to do just that. I'll personally engage in political discussion because players like Trump2017 are sitting in a station instead of playing a space game. The same problem extends to the unlimited disposable forum alts. Incarnate refuses to address these issues so they persist and contribute to the toxicity of the game.

If nobody is flying around, everybody is talking in 100.
Feb 04, 2017 Sieger link
Woah Ore, did you just agree with me? In some way atleast? Hell must be freezing tonight.

Yeah! A good way to get rid of the forum alts is requiring atleast a lite sub to post on the forums. Maybe allow access for "non-paid" account only to Bugs and General, maybe the OS Forums which are seldomly used anyway. Or maybe even requiring a lite sub PLUS 12 hours of in-game time. Or a character with levels 3/3/3/3/3 atleast. People could still make throwaway accounts then. But they'd have to pay and play the game.

And secondly I don't agree with the idea of some about removing 100 entirely. There are good times where people agree to meet to do something together (queening, etc.) or when people announce their intention to do business (selling weapons, etc.). That's decent and that's where a universe-wide chat is really fun. I personally prefer the idea of professional moderators being hired. And I wouldn't mind paying a few dollars more per month for it. But of course, it may not be as easy for other people.

I suppose it's a tough case and there's no perfect solution. Since it's the internet...
Feb 04, 2017 joylessjoker link
Hmm, I'll go make an account for Warren2020.
Feb 04, 2017 Ore link
Actually I've been saying this for years. It seems like I got through to you Sieger.

Of course I'm just as guilty as you are with these charges. I once made an alt called "Westrianage Profarts" to troll 3 players at the same time in 100 without leaving the station. It's just that easy folks. I'll keep doing it too. It makes me feel big!

My suggestion stands that 100 should be reduced to system chat. There will be plenty of yappers in Latos, Sedina and Odia for those that want to talk shit.
Feb 04, 2017 incarnate link
I saw this thread last night, but I didn't respond because I was busy working on a critical infrastructure project related to the database. I worked about 14 hours yesterday.

And that statement is kind of a microcosm for this issue as a whole: We do not have spare development time, we do not have a staff, our volunteers have limited resources, and as a result stuff happens a lot more than I would like. This is not the same as: "Incarnate refuses to address these issues so they persist and contribute to the toxicity of the game."

Also, game toxicity is bad, but not as bad as the game going down, which happened twice on Thursday night due to provider maintenance issues (really not our fault, but still, challenging and sleep-depriving, and requiring us to consider workarounds and other development time-sinks).

I'm pretty aware of the toxicity of what can go on, both on the forums and the game, and I've been working on changes, for a few months, that would allow this to be managed more effectively with limited personnel. But, my changes will also take dev-time to implement, and we've had none of that.. we're a solid month behind on one project, which is pushing into another project, which is now screwing up my whole Q1 plan, and some of this stuff matters from a financial standpoint.

Yes, I know community-toxicity has a real financial ramification too, I'm more directly and viscerally aware of that than anyone (among other things, I also get to see the public negative reviews about our community, which then stick around forever); but like the "server crash" example above, there are relative levels of importance, even between two important issues, and we have to do the best that we can to apply the resources that we have.

So, I am aware. You do have various ignoring, mute-voting, and ticketing options. We do read the tickets, we do try to act on them. We do mute repeat-offenders for lengthy periods of time (weeks), but we don't shout it from the rooftops, so all the people who dislike that person can then exacerbate the problem by mocking them over their muted state.

There is also a problem with some people using the ticket system, not so much as a way to truly report toxicity, but as a means to "tattle" on people they dislike and effectively use administrative-action as a weapon in community-warfare. Having to sort the wheat from the chaff on this is always time consuming and challenging.

To put it more bluntly: the extent to which the veteran-player community tends to get together into groups that then throws rocks and hissy-fits at one another over perceived-grievances.. hurts both the current game and our on-going development. So, as someone pointed out on here earlier, if the toxicity truly bothers you, perhaps start by trying to "be the change you want to see".

If you read enough of the forum posts over a few weeks, you may get the impression from the overall feedback that "everything would be better if only you just made everything better!" Yes, we know, but "just doing that" is impossible, we have to pick and choose, and it isn't always based on requirements and needs that are made public (or would be in anyone's best interest to be made public). We steer the ship to avoid biggest rocks, the best that we can.

If there are specific suggestions for new ideas on management of toxicity in the game, I'm open to those on Suggestions. If I get some time, I'll post my own plans there as an RFC, but I've had a meat-grinder of a freakin' week, and I'd like to take a day off before it starts up again..

Anyway, I think we've wrapped up as much commentary from this thread as is specifically useful. I'm locking it for now. Consider my awareness "heightened", if you will? Further high-value points can be made via Suggestions.