No more exploit of the log off exit from Open World

[Cetric de Cornusiac]

I have seen a couple of times people using the log off when being chased or searched as an easy get away: they vanish from open seas and can log in anytime later for continuing. I regard that as an exploit of a game mechanic which should be made impossible to some extent, or be punished.

You can get disconnected because of a terrible lag or when your internet connection fails, or a computer related problem (lately I sometimes get a frozen picture when in OW and only restart helps), so the game needs to be able to differ between technical issue and player decision to exploit the exit possibility when things are getting hairy for him.

Make it so that logging off is impossible (without sanctions) as long as an enemy ship is in visual distance (both see each other) or in a radius of 10k to enemy player positions on the map. Logging off in ports would not be touched by this.

Without implying a technical prevention there is still the possibility to sanction a logg off which is done as exploit and matter of escape. Like a fee payable in PvP marks and, if these are not existing, Combat Marks from account of the exploiter.

When someone is not willing to fight and wants to stop being chased, he may still simply surrender to interceptors and the battle is not necessary. His ships is confiscated by the chasing party.

Pro:

No more exploit of logging off, targets remain legitimate targets, actions have more consistent consequences without the backdoor of vanishing from the map when it is convenient. There is no more magic reappearance later when the search has ended and the raider can just continue from where he left.

Con:

Difficulty (?) for the program to decide when the log off was due to technical problem and stays unsanctioned, or was done voluntarily, as an exploit.

Edited May 14, 2018 by Cetric de Cornusiac

[Archaos]

I thought there was a 2 minute timer on log off even on disconnect, so you are stopped in OW available to be tagged.

[Percival Merewether]

There's a two minute timer, the only time I ever experienced this to be a "problem" was when I spotted a player who was already sails down. and halfway throughj the logout process.

It's fair enough that if a player can get far enough away from you to sit and wait for a two minute logout timer that he then disappears - you couldn't catch him anyways... it's a good way to counter the fir/fir Endymion chasers that "magically" gets teleported to a nearby port to chase you while the bigger ships catches up after the battle starts.

If someone is within visual range then you can always get to them in two minutes, unless you're in a Live/white Santi w/ floating Battery and upwind.

[z4ys]

disconnect in ow = can still be attacked for 2 mins

Leave the game in OW = can still be attacked for 2 mins

Disconnect in instance = ship drops sail and after 10min AI takes over and tries to escape at best point of sail

Disconnect when "battle is over" = places your ship in OW

 

maybe you are talking about this one here?

 

[Cetric de Cornusiac]

I swear in the two cases I mentioned and observed the fleeing ship had no two minutes time, in the first one I even did not see his sails down when he vanished in front of me. Perhaps there is a workaround or what?

[Hethwill]

Any video of this occurrence ?

Draw distance has its own technical limitations. There's no "earth curvature" so ships will pop out when beyond the visual limit which is not that tremendously far away.

[Cetric de Cornusiac]

6 minutes ago, Hethwill said:

Any video of this occurrence ?

Draw distance has its own technical limitations. There's no "earth curvature" so ships will pop out when beyond the visual limit which is not that tremendously far away.

Unfortunately not. But I can exclude an evening, fog or stormy weather as reasons to cut down on view. It was plain day and I was in the faster ship approaching him, so an increase of distance could also not have been the reason of him disappearing. I was at his 6 o'clock position, right behind.

Edited May 14, 2018 by Cetric de Cornusiac

[Hethwill]

Thank you. Without hard evidence it become conjecture.

On this vein,

If i'm not mistaken both major GPU supplies, AMD and NVidia have a fast track kind of thing imbued in their softwares to record say like the last 15 seconds or so, just for fast replay function.

This is an excellent tool to keep at hand when testing games. At the press of a key the last XX seconds are stored in movie format.

[Archaos]

13 minutes ago, Cetric de Cornusiac said:

I swear in the two cases I mentioned and observed the fleeing ship had no two minutes time, in the first one I even did not see his sails down when he vanished in front of me. Perhaps there is a workaround or what?

A few people have reported this happening but I guess without proof it is hard for them to do anything.

[Percival Merewether]

21 minutes ago, Cetric de Cornusiac said:

I swear in the two cases I mentioned and observed the fleeing ship had no two minutes time, in the first one I even did not see his sails down when he vanished in front of me. Perhaps there is a workaround or what?

What happened is likely this: (I may be wrong)

You chased a ship that was slightly faster than you, upon him reaching the limit of your draw distance it appeared as if he stopped. This is because when an object moves out of render range it becomes static - it will remain in that position for roughly 5-10 seconds making it appear as if you're now gaining on him rapidly and then suddenly disappear.

That is not an exploit but one of those unavoidable things when using this engine - I suppose one way to solve it (if possible); would be to let the ship fade away before getting out of render distance - but I have no clue if that can be done.

[Cetric de Cornusiac]

12 minutes ago, Percival Merewether said:

You chased a ship that was slightly faster than you, upon him reaching the limit of your draw distance it appeared as if he stopped.

Sounds rational. If only I were slower than him, which wasn't the case. Was a rather painfully slow decrease in distance, so I figure I must have been like a few 0,0x knots faster than him, but still steadily approaching.

Edited May 14, 2018 by Cetric de Cornusiac

[Hethwill]

I will close this until a recording is provided for better illustration of what is being written - and is a Suggestion to a non-existent problem.

Cetric, or anyone else, do poke me when you come across this situation recorded.

Rulebook states:

- Exiting game from the Open World travel mode will last 120 seconds exactly. Ship will drop anchor, furl full sails.

- Player can Wait or Exit Now. Difference is - waiting gives opportunity to cancel. Exit now is self explanatory. On both cases there's 120 seconds countdown.

- Player can exit game from instance. In that case the ship will remain in battle for a time, completely stopped and then be ejected to the OW where it will remain for additional time.