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Griefer Prison and Banishment (to a Cave) :D


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Hello everyone,

 

Thus far, kicking and banning seems an acceptable enough solution for dealing with 'griefers'.

 

What I am proposing may seem kind of silly, but hopefully it will lead to more creative ideas for DST in the future.  In a way, it is a constructive way of integrating the 'griefer' dilemma, while adding a new dimension of gameplay I think is worth exploring.  It allows 'griefers' to be the selfish villains they 'want' to be, while giving more considerate, group-minded players some fun, yet manageable challenges to overcome.  

Since 'bad karma' is somewhat part of the game (i.e., Krampus for killing animals in excess, or Tree Guardians for chopping trees without re-planting them), and there is a system in place where players can get marked as 'shady' or 'sketchy' if they are in the habit of killing other players, looting bases, or destroying common property, why not take it a step further?

This idea is meant for non-PVP servers only.  As long as 'sketchy' players stay out of non-PVP servers, they can do whatever they please; but once they start to join non-PVP servers, their malicious tendencies will begin to catch up with them.  

If it is true that players can acquire persistent reputations based on their past actions, then this negative karma system should follow them from game-to-game, until it is paid off, in-game.  'Griefers' are quickly recognized by regular players anyways, which is why I think this idea can work.

My proposal for calculating and effecting the negative karma for these malicious players is this:  All in-game players can access 'Tab' key to see the list of players in the server, and will be given the option to mark down, or 'red flag' known troublemakers.  In every non-PVP game session, these markers will be checked against a running tally of previous marks, or 'thumbs down' (in previous non-PVP sessions) of these 'griefers'.  If there is at least 9 past marks, or 'red flags' (from previous sessions) against a particular player, a slowly blinking "!", 'clown face', or 'troll face' will automatically hover over this 'sketchy' player, which is visible to everyone (not too distracting, kind of like the small ghost icon that hovers near the Sanity Indicator in Survival Mode).  This passive 'mark of shame' doesn't do anything except visibly warn anyone within visible range, of the nature of the person they are dealing with; and it will not go away until either all his previous negative marks are offset / cancelled out by positive votes, or 'thumbs up' (being pardoned by other players, earning their forgiveness), or it is paid off through the active system of karmic retribution which I will discuss below.  

 

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The more interesting, proactive system of cause and effect for deliberate misbehavior on non-PVP servers can work like this:

Any player who is passively marked as a 'sketchy' player (by the system mentioned above) is automatically vulnerable to this punitive mechanic.

It starts with all players having the ability to build a Jail that can house one 'sketchy' player.  This Jail cannot be hammered down by passively marked, 'sketchy' players.  But it can be destroyed by Deerclops, other disasters, or even a sneaky ally of the 'griefer.'  

When a passively marked, 'sketchy' player dies in a non-PVP server, and tries to respawn at a Jury-Rig Portal, he or she is automatically sent to the nearest vacant Jail.  He must stay in that Jail until someone decides to set him free, or he dies.  For every length of time representing a whole DST day, that he / she spends in Jail while alive, one negative mark is offset, or paid off (this option is for 'griefers' who do not care to be pardoned by other players with their 'thumbs up').  When he offsets / pays off all his negative points (approx. 9 game days if he has 9 negative marks), he is automatically freed from Jail and his hovering 'mark of shame' is removed.  If players do not feed him and keep him alive while in Jail, and he dies, he will not be able to serve up his time.  If he decides to disconnect from the game while in Jail, and re-join, he will go straight back to that same Jail.  That Jail will be reserved for that particular 'griefer' unless players decide to unlock that reservation; in which case, the disconnecting 'griefer' returns a free man, but is still passively marked.

If players do not want this marked 'griefer' (now fugitive) running free because there is no Jail space for him, they will have other options at their disposal to protect themselves:

1.  The first is the ability to build a Mighty Rod of Righteous Repellence that can either be a structure that zaps away any marked, 'sketchy' players that comes within its radius, and teleports them to a random location on the map (like in Wilderness Mode) if there isn't a vacant Jail, or it can be hand-held device with 4-5 charges.  If as a structure, it may only have a few charges per day, so players will have to build more if they are dealing with a serious invasion of 'griefers'.  Maybe it can also double as a Lightning Tower, and if hit by lightning, instantly recharges it, or gives it extra teleport zaps.  

2.  The second is the ability to craft an item called a Magic Ward of the Righteous that can be inconspicuously attached to any object you can pick up.  When a marked 'sketchy' player picks up this object, he unwittingly is teleported to the nearest Jail.  If there isn't a vacant Jail, he is teleported to a random location on the map.  

3.  The third is the ability to craft an item called Griefer Glitter that can be inconspicuously attached to any object you can set on fire.  When a marked 'sketchy' player sets this object on fire, he is unwittingly killed, or seriously injured by a magic explosion.

4.  The fourth is the ability to build a Magic Chest of the Righteous, which is a chest that is inaccessible to passively marked 'sketchy' players.  It costs more rare resources to build, and cannot be hammered down by marked 'sketchy' players.  


> > >

A 'griefer' can partially protect himself from mechanics that teleport him to Jail or a random location, by crafting and equipping a Witch Hat or Cloak of the Toad, that loses 20-25% durability each time it is zapped by a teleporting bolt or ward blast.  

And lastly, when a marked 'sketchy' player has more than 18 negative marks, or 'thumbs down', he is classified as a 'wayward' player, and now has a slowly blinking "!!" or "red-tinged face" icon hovering above him, and becomes vulnerable to a more severe retributive mechanic.  

After players build a Jail, they can begin to build a Chamber of a Wayward Ghost (or a few of these objects can be found throughout the world).  When a marked 'wayward' player (who has more than 18 negative marks) is in ghost form, and moves too close to a 'Chamber of a Wayward Ghost' (a radius of 5-8 wall units) he will be automatically pulled in and trapped inside it.  Once trapped inside, he must stay there for 3 in-game days (which will offset / pay off 3 negative marks or 'thumbs down') before he is released (so it is a good idea to build these in bases to deter 'griefer' ghosts).  If 'griefers' make no effort to earn pardons from other players, they must serve time to reduce their negative marks on non-PVP servers.

If they disconnect only to re-join, they will go straight back into that 'Chamber of a Wayward Ghost' if it is still empty.  If it is occupied by another 'wayward' ghost, then upon re-joining, one of two things can happen to him (which I will explain below).  


> > >

CAVES (assuming this gets implemented in DST):

After the 3rd day in the Chamber as a ghost (he will see a timer showing how much time he has left to spend in there before release), if the marked player has less than 17 negative marks, he will be teleported to a random location on the world map.  If he still has more than 18 negative marks, he will be banished to a Cave.  For a 'wayward' player, in the form of a ghost, spending time in Caves will count as serving time to reduce negative marks (1 in-game day in a Cave will offset 1 negative mark) for he is being kept away from the surface world and from regular players.  When a 'wayward' ghost's negative mark dips below 17, he can return back to the surface world, either through a 'Chamber of a Wayward Ghost' in a Cave, doing another 3-day term, and then being teleported to a random location on the surface world map; or waiting for someone to come down and revive him with a Telltale Heart, and allowing them to climb out together.

Marked 'wayward' ghosts (who have more than 18 negative marks, with a "!!" or "red-tinged face" passive icon hovering over them) will re-spawn in Caves if they use a Jury-Rig Portal.  

While in a Cave, 'wayward' players (human, not ghost) Sanity deteriorates 50% slower than regular players; and 30% slower Sanity loss if 'sketchy' (less than 18 negative marks).

If a marked 'wayward' player is in human form, and gets struck by a 'Mighty Rod of Righteous Repellence' or a 'Magic Ward of the Righteous', and there are no vacant Jails, there is a 15% chance he will be banished to a Cave instead of a random location on the surface world.  

Shadows Creatures (Terrorbeak and Crawling Horror) that are active in Caves regardless of Sanity level will leave marked 'wayward' players alone due to their similar level of wickedness.  

A marked 'wayward' player in human form can get Terrorbeaks to become temporary allies (just like Pigmen) if he gives them a special offering.  


> > >

So the whole point of this is to make the most of the fact of 'griefers'.  Instead of always resorting to their exclusion, this system gives them a chance to redeem themselves!  

Well, that's all I have to say about this matter.  Thanks for reading! :encouragement:

 

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I am not talking about PVP kills being included as negative marks.  That passive reputation system you are referring to (which is already in place) just allows you to examine another character, and hear what the game character has to say about him / her.

The system I am proposing is a self-regulating, 'anti-griefing' solution that allows any non-PVP player to participate, if they choose, in the enforcement of server rules through a voting system.  It is based on the opinion of players towards other players, rather than statistical references to a player's number of kills or objects burned.  Players would have the option to vote down (red flag) someone, or vote up (express gratitude, or pardon) any other player in a non-PVP game session.

If there weren't 'griefers', there would be no need to vote up or down people; but since there are 'griefers', I think this self-regulating system can enrich the gameplay experience, as well as reduce the burden on admins to monitor 'griefer' incidents, and wait for people to complain before having to kick or ban someone.  


> > >

Another problem is that the voting system itself can be abused by 'griefers.'  So in what ways can this be addressed?  

1.)  Firstly, marked 'sketchy' or 'wayward' players will not be allowed to participate in the vote system until they clear all their negative marks.  

2.)  Negative marks from previous sessions do not have to carry over to future sessions, but I think they should, because it helps protect regular players from malicious vote downs (explained below).  

3.)  Malicious vote downs can be offset by other players voting up their friends and other regular players.  If say a group of three friends are playing, and two of them vote down (red flag) a known 'griefer' who just joined; and the 'griefer', who is still able to use the vote system because he hasn't yet reached 'sketchy' status, decides to vote down everyone in the game, the three friends can vote each other up, and cancel out his malicious vote.

Also, if a 'griefer' votes down everyone in a non-PVP session, other players can all retaliate by voting him down.  He will just make more and more enemies for himself.  Players may vote retaliate against people who vote them down, but 'griefers' will lose in the vote battle because they negatively affect everyone.    

Once the 'griefer' has more than 9 negative marks, he is assigned 'sketchy' status, and will not be able to use the voting system anymore until he clears all his negative marks.  

If the 'anti-griefer' system is able to carry over from previous games to future sessions (a persistent tally of all positive and negative marks/votes), then regular players will likely have a history of positive votes to protect/buffer them against malicious voters.    


4.)  By default, every regular player will be allowed to vote up, as well as vote down any other player (once, per game session).  Or, by default, the ability to vote again (both for or against someone) will not be available until 15 in-game days pass.  In other words, admins should be able to customize these settings if they so choose.  It could be in-game time, or real-world time.  


> > >

In addition (or alternately) to a slowly blinking icon hovering over 'sketchy' and 'wayward' players, the 'Tab' Player List can also show a fixed icon ('sketchy' or 'wayward' status) in front of the name of such players (just like how administrators have a star icon).   


Thank you for reading! :frog:
 

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@sunzribe, I actually really like the overall concept of these ideas you're coming up with; however that's a lot of new content for Klei to work on. I'd rather them focus on Reign of Giants and Caves implementation (and then Through the Ages). Don't get me wrong I like the ideas but I think Klei has there hands full at the moment.

 

ALTHOUGH:

I do really think an addition of a rating system like you discussed (FOR NON-PVP ONLY), where players can mark-up or mark-down players would be easy enough to add and be a great addition to the game. That way when someone joins in saying... "where's base?," and instantly starts burning everything down... everyone on the server can mark them down. After doing that on a couple servers their "popularity rating" would be really bad. That way when someone joins my server with an obviously bad reputation (say 10-20 mark-downs), I could go ahead and kick them in advance before they burn down my precious berry bushes! 

:willowilson:

 

Not only would this allow players to foresee such an occurrence, but it would almost push these types of players (griefers) to play on PvP servers where they belong and should be playing in the first place...

 

And on the note of keeping the reputation system from being miss-abused by griefers with griefer friends...

An easy solution would be that one individual can only mark-up/down another individual once per week in real life time. If it was per game then they could just create a new game over and over until their Rep is back to normal or even positive...NOT OKAY haha!

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