Battle Screen abuse

[IndianaGeoff]

We know that some folks sit in the battle screen to ambush other players or to avoid another combat.

 

To limit the ability to ambush, add the time spent in the battle screen to the time before you can initiate or join a combat up to 10 minutes.  That way if someone spends 5 minutes in the battlescreen it will be 5 minutes plus the standard wait before they can join a combat.  Don't have the timer count for them being attacked.  Leave that the same, short timer.  That will increase the risk of using the battle screen and eliminate the aggressive abuse of it.

[Hethwill]

Join a combat -OR- start a combat ?!

 

I take a break from the game in BS... go for a 5 minute walk to the beach ( yes, it's that close \o/ ), have a beer at the bar, get back after 30 minutes and login back into the BS.

 

So I have to spend the next 30 minutes doing absolutely nothing ?

 

Or am I missing something here ?

[Sir Texas Sir]

To be honest the best way to fix the gank  squad out side reason folks sit in battle screens is when you exit a battle you should exit where you had run too.  I been a battle in front of Sundry and we chased a guy almost all the way to CT before he was able to escape.  We should exit in that area not all back at Sundry again.   This way folks can't camp the cross swords out side and gives you that running start you had in battle to keep escaping.  I'm also nice enough if it was a good battle to page one of the guys and let them know I"m going to take a break or head to bed/dinner so I won't be poping back out.  I been in a few battles that lasted twice clock count down where folks where trying to get me after I sunk one of there budies.  that is a long time to be just running from a gank squad after you finished a 1 vs 1 or even more funny when it was 2/3 vs 1 and you sunk all 2/3 and they are mad so bring out 5-10 ships (including there AI fleets) to hunt down one ship.  Yep one time had 9 chasing me in a battle for 3 hours after I had sunk 2 and got away from the third.....by the 3rd hour I just sat in battle screen and went to take the trash out and than made dinner before I popped back out into the open sea.

Edited September 28, 2016 by Sir Texas SIr

[3rdguards]

We know that some folks sit in the battle screen to ambush other players or to avoid another combat.

 

To limit the ability to ambush, add the time spent in the battle screen to the time before you can initiate or join a combat up to 10 minutes.  That way if someone spends 5 minutes in the battlescreen it will be 5 minutes plus the standard wait before they can join a combat.  Don't have the timer count for them being attacked.  Leave that the same, short timer.  That will increase the risk of using the battle screen and eliminate the aggressive abuse of it.

 

though i suppose no Idea is without merit, I think this is a bit excessive, it'd be like sailing around with your hands tied, just doesn't make any sense gameplay, or realism wise. Personally I like the battle screen, it provides a venue to take a break, collect your thought and everything, i think the actual break of the BS is needed, people who say otherwise clearly have never needed to use it. Either way, my main frustration with the BS - if you can even call it that- is that you don'd know if they will come out or not (tbh best solution is probably just to not bother and patrol elsewhere on the island as opposed to sitting for 1.5 hrs on the swords in the first place). Texas' Idea is a excellent idea, realism wise, and could definitely work game play wise. Someone also suggested a message upon the enemy logging out in BS, or battle ending so ppl could wait an appropriate amount of time.

Edited September 28, 2016 by 3rdguards

[IndianaGeoff]

To be honest the best way to fix the gank  squad out side reason folks sit in battle screens is when you exit a battle you should exit where you had run too.  I been a battle in front of Sundry and we chased a guy almost all the way to CT before he was able to escape.  We should exit in that area not all back at Sundry again.   This way folks can't camp the cross swords out side and gives you that running start you had in battle to keep escaping.  I'm also nice enough if it was a good battle to page one of the guys and let them know I"m going to take a break or head to bed/dinner so I won't be poping back out.  I been in a few battles that lasted twice clock count down where folks where trying to get me after I sunk one of there budies.  that is a long time to be just running from a gank squad after you finished a 1 vs 1 or even more funny when it was 2/3 vs 1 and you sunk all 2/3 and they are mad so bring out 5-10 ships (including there AI fleets) to hunt down one ship.  Yep one time had 9 chasing me in a battle for 3 hours after I had sunk 2 and got away from the third.....by the 3rd hour I just sat in battle screen and went to take the trash out and than made dinner before I popped back out into the open sea.

The gank squad can control the exit point if they are PvE in this case.  Heck, they could run a cutter up two cities, escape or kill it, sit in battle screen and pop out with zero warning.

 

This does not stop you from taking a break in the battle screen.  You just have to continue the break in game (up to 10 minutes or what is chosen) once the break is over.

 

Join a combat -OR- start a combat ?!

 

I take a break from the game in BS... go for a 5 minute walk to the beach ( yes, it's that close \o/ ), have a beer at the bar, get back after 30 minutes and login back into the BS.

 

So I have to spend the next 30 minutes doing absolutely nothing ?

 

Or am I missing something here ?

 I set the max to 10 minutes in my post as a starting point for discussion.  Yes, having to wait 30 minutes would be excessive.

 

Of course going into a port should instantly end the timer and take it back to standard rules.

Edited September 28, 2016 by IndianaGeoff

[Hethwill]

As long as me, myself and I can logout in the Battle Screen I am fine. Obviously I would leave the game running going out... forgot to mention that detail. And against any automatic ejection to the OW, so... 5 minutes are more than enough for me, myself and I.

[Sir Texas Sir]

The gank squad can control the exit point if they are PvE in this case.  Heck, they could run a cutter up two cities, escape or kill it, sit in battle screen and pop out with zero warning.

 

This does not stop you from taking a break in the battle screen.  You just have to continue the break in game (up to 10 minutes or what is chosen) once the break is over.

 

 

Not really cause they have to know exactly where your going to exit and that 2 ports like you say might be to far away.  Than you cut I diffrent path and they loose you. I done it many times when popping out the same place as we started.  It's the guys that keep the same path that get caught all the time.   Even with TS and coms you can't really judge where they would pop out in the OW even if your in the battle with them other than if there is land and ports to judge by.  Last I checked I in the open sea there is very few land marks to go buy so your case would only work if your running the shore line.   Also Cutters can't tag larger ships last I checked.    IF it wasn't a trader than that one guy is down on guns and BR for a fight too.  If they have that well of a gank squad your prob screwed any way and they should of caught you in the first battle or two.

[Bach]

There are secondary problem that develpoe when changing rules around the battle screen wait and even the exit points. I would suggest a simpler solution:

 

Never remove the battle swords from the OS. This way the battle isn't hidden and players sailing by can see how many ships may be inside with the potential to jump out. Then that player can sail wide around that battle to avoid potential ambushes.  Everything else remains the same.  The same should be true for epic battle instances.    

 

Now some may say this would lead to people camping the battles. They may. But they still dont know when you may exit and if your ship were really there on the OS they should be able to see it ahead of time like every other ship.

[Guest]

Why not just randomize the spawn point inside the quadrant. 1) it would make it impossible to use BS (as in bullshit screen) cloaking to ambush others. And 2) If you'd just escaped/killed someone in battle it would make it harder for a counter gank squad to tag u, i.e. minimizing the need to "go to the beach for a beer" or "have dinner" (and boy those brits eat biscuits at wee hours). We've all heard the excuses. Hell we've all used them. Let's make them redundant.

[Hethwill]

minimizing the need to "go to the beach for a beer" or "have dinner"

 

 

That is something you fail to understand. It is not a need. It is a necessity.

 

And many of us NA players do not "live" stuck up in ports.

[Mrdoomed]

What a great topic. This has never been talked about ! Thanks for this topic.

[Rychu Karas]

NEVER, or give the possibility to invulnerable logoff. Logoff timer is set for 2minutes, so the not moving invulnerability should be 2:30 or 3mins. But if you raise your sails up. Invul is instant breaking. It allows to catch up again if someone tries to run away.

[Rychu Karas]

You can be surprised, how long coastal scum can wait outside BS. Even a hour by the way. Thats why it is horrible idea. Camping abuse is definitely not less abuse, than BS one.

I full agree. btw yesterday when I was looking for nice 1v1. I catch up a guy (actually, he was heading toward me: ]), after few seconds another one jump it. OK, I run away and wait some time on BS, because I have some responsibilities outside of the game. When I click out of the BS, 2x rattle surp 2x renome consti and some other trash was waiting only exclusively for me: ], so many fans of my ship \o/... its sad. But i take it as a part of the game, bad players exist, that's ok. they need numbers, that's ok. they using failfited runboats, that's OK. But What I can have from it?

[Hethwill]

Yes. And still some folks insist to have the battle markers ALWAYS visible.

 

Oh the amount of raiders camping mission battles could be ridiculous....

 

... it works both ways

[The Spud]

Maybe ships should just appear in the OW where they jumped out in the battle instance. So basicaly when you sink the enemy and could go to the battle screen, you have X amount of time to all head towards the point you want to exit. If you want to take a toilet break, you just have to put your ship in the right direction and let it sail. Most of the time those ganking around capitals have fast ships, so it might be enough of a headstart to escape.

[Edward Canaday]

Why not just randomize the spawn point inside the quadrant. 1) it would make it impossible to use BS (as in bullshit screen) cloaking to ambush others. And 2) If you'd just escaped/killed someone in battle it would make it harder for a counter gank squad to tag u, i.e. minimizing the need to "go to the beach for a beer" or "have dinner" (and boy those brits eat biscuits at wee hours). We've all heard the excuses. Hell we've all used them. Let's make them redundant.

 

 

I think this is actually a great idea.  It won't get rid of all ganking, but it will slow it down quite a bit.

[Bach]

If 6 players are camping your battle screen for an hour. First understand your being camped by x6 desparate players. Second that those six are not fighting your team somewhere else. Third if your solo in a fast ship your odds still aren't that bad of avoiding that counter gank. Fourth if your hunting right off their capital it's a tactic they should be able to employ.

they current system isn't that bad. The main reasons any of us get invisibly ambushed by battle screen sitters is we don't read the clues and the battle exit join timer matches the battle join timer. If the exit timer were just increased 30sec this whole thing of being ambushed goes away. Counter ganking doesn't but, as mentioned above, that mostly only comes into play when you choose to hunt off their capital or popular ports.

Edited September 29, 2016 by Bach