LF Amy to Ban Friendly Games

goobie

violent delights
#2
Like you, I have previously found myself frustrated with friendly games. I can understand where you're coming from yes, but overall is it really that big of a deal?

Friendly games can be mildly irritating, I get it. One issue now that crates are going on is that the East lobby is filling up extremely fast and it's more difficult to find people who want to battle. I've noticed that there will be up to three or four friendlies going and the battles get kind of lost in the mix. If you wait long enough, I promise you'll find some people for a ship battle or you can come back later. Getting sent to South is not the end of the world. It takes two seconds to switch. You may have to wait in the queue for maybe thirty seconds but if you can't wait that long then I think there are some bigger issues at hand.

I can see where it may feel like they're "cheating". I'm not for sure if it is and I don't really care to debate it. I imagine that they may get keys and items at a quicker rate as opposed to playing a real game but nothing is stopping you from joining in on it. They are still taking the time to play the game. It's not like they're scamming people out of items and credits.

If people want to take the time out of their lives and spend their game-time playing friendlies for X amount of hours then who are we blame them? We all use our VMK experience differently and if that's what they want to do then it should be none of our business. As long as they're not impeding on the enjoyment of others (which again, it's not really hurting or you or preventing you from playing normally). Again, If you (or me, or anyone) wanted to get keys and crates badly enough we could just as easily choose to participate in a friendly game.

I also imagine this would be kind of a difficult thing to control and watch out for. I know that now it's pretty simple to tell who is doing friendly and who is battling (people ask for someone to join, boot people who weren't part of the group, etc) but if friendlies were banned I imagine people would still do it and be much more subtle about it so unless somehow staff could watch every game (which no one wants to do, especially them) I'm not really sure how this could be enforced.

Ultimately, while I can understand some annoyance, it's not a big deal.

I'm not asking this to further any type of argument. I just have a genuine curiosity since I was so young when I played OG VMK that I don't remember much about it. Was this a thing there too?

EDIT: Sorry for any grammatical mistakes and run-on sentences. I know this isn't typed up very eloquently but I'm working on homework at the same time, oops!

EDIT 2: Fixed grammar. Changed some sentences.
 
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Captain Falcon

Well-Known Member
#5
you wanna ban people... from playing a game....

Friendly game, yes.[DOUBLEPOST=1512373955][/DOUBLEPOST]
at first i thought this was a troll attempt but then i saw you were serious but like...
what harm does a friendly game do? if you don't like friendlies...don't...play them?
It harms the game, not me personally. Keep VMK the way it used to be. #BanFriendlyGames

P.S. Promoting competition is a good thing for VMK. This game used to be so fun when people used to play competitively.[DOUBLEPOST=1512374227][/DOUBLEPOST]Also, if you think banning friendlies is equal to banning people from playing POTC altogether, re-evaluate your logic.[DOUBLEPOST=1512374860][/DOUBLEPOST]
Like you, I have previously found myself frustrated with friendly games. I can understand where you're coming from yes, but overall is it really that big of a deal?

Friendly games can be mildly irritating, I get it. One issue now that crates are going on is that the East lobby is filling up extremely fast and it's more difficult to find people who want to battle. I've noticed that there will be up to three or four friendlies going and the battles get kind of lost in the mix. If you wait long enough, I promise you'll find some people for a ship battle or you can come back later. Getting sent to South is not the end of the world. It takes two seconds to switch. You may have to wait in the queue for maybe thirty seconds but if you can't wait that long then I think there are some bigger issues at hand.

I can see where it may feel like they're "cheating". I'm not for sure if it is and I don't really care to debate it. I imagine that they may get keys and items at a quicker rate as opposed to playing a real game but nothing is stopping you from joining in on it. They are still taking the time to play the game. It's not like they're scamming people out of items and credits.

If people want to take the time out of their lives and spend their game-time playing friendlies for X amount of hours then who are we blame them? We all use our VMK experience differently and if that's what they want to do then it should be none of our business. As long as they're not impeding on the enjoyment of others (which again, it's not really hurting or you or preventing you from playing normally). Again, If you (or me, or anyone) wanted to get keys and crates badly enough we could just as easily choose to participate in a friendly game.

I also imagine this would be kind of a difficult thing to control and watch out for. I know that now it's pretty simple to tell who is doing friendly and who is battling (people ask for someone to join, boot people who weren't part of the group, etc) but if friendlies were banned I imagine people would still do it and be much more subtle about it so unless somehow staff could watch every game (which no one wants to do, especially them) I'm not really sure how this could be enforced.

Ultimately, while I can understand some annoyance, it's not a big deal.

I'm not asking this to further any type of argument. I just have a genuine curiosity since I was so young when I played OG VMK that I don't remember much about it. Was this a thing there too?

EDIT: Sorry for any grammatical mistakes and run-on sentences. I know this isn't typed up very eloquently but I'm working on homework at the same time, oops!

EDIT 2: Fixed grammar. Changed some sentences.
The fact is, the game was intended to be played competitively. No it doesn't harm me, it harms the game altogether, competition in POTC is what made even OGVMK so much fun back in the day. The fix is easy, ban it altogether. Not much to monitor until a report is issued. There is absolutely no doubt that friendlies is a form of cheating but that's not even the issue. The main problem i see is mostly is the everyone now playing friendlies seem to be the majority. Your point of "As long as they're not impeding on the enjoyment of others (which again, it's not really hurting or you or preventing you from playing normally)." is entirely false given the ratio of friendly games to non-friendly games.
 
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#6
I agree I think the game would be better off without friendly games. The game used to be a ton of fun when it was more competitive.

The fact is, the game was intended to be played competitively. No it doesn't harm me, it harms the game altogether, competition in POTC is what made even OGVMK so much fun back in the day. The fix is easy, ban it altogether. Not much to monitor until a report is issued. There is absolutely no doubt that friendlies is a form of cheating but that's not even the issue. The main problem i see is mostly is the everyone now playing friendlies seem to be the majority. Your point of "As long as they're not impeding on the enjoyment of others (which again, it's not really hurting or you or preventing you from playing normally)." is entirely false given the ratio of friendly games to non-friendly games.
Yes there are too many friendly games and not enough competitive games. There seems to be less and less of them lately and almost all just friendlies. And it makes it not fun to play anymore I miss the competitiveness.

Also, I find it funny that they don't allow you to win trade on your clone yet they allow friendlies......
 
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Captain Falcon

Well-Known Member
#7
at first i thought this was a troll attempt but then i saw you were serious but like...
what harm does a friendly game do? if you don't like friendlies...don't...play them?
Honestly, your post seems like a troll-attempt. I was pretty concise with my statement, and i hadn't replied to anyone at the moment you posted. TROLOLOL

nice try.

Following your same logic, if you don't like a post, don't comment?[DOUBLEPOST=1512375585][/DOUBLEPOST]
I'm not asking this to further any type of argument. I just have a genuine curiosity since I was so young when I played OG VMK that I don't remember much about it. Was this a thing there too?
Also, no this was not a thing in OG VMK. Otherwise all my statements so far would be invalid.
 
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#8
I can see where it may feel like they're "cheating". I'm not for sure if it is and I don't really care to debate it. I imagine that they may get keys and items at a quicker rate as opposed to playing a real game but nothing is stopping you from joining in on it. They are still taking the time to play the game. It's not like they're scamming people out of items and credits.
I feel like it is cheating and it takes the fun out of it and makes it really boring. I'd rather fight and have fun and even if I lose at least its still more fun than just trading wins and taking the easier route to earn something. It gives you an incentive to get better at the game and adds the competitiveness that made the OG game so much fun.
 

Rizz

Well-Known Member
#9
You are supposed to earn more credits for how well you perform. If you aren't good, then play more to improve. It's a game, what do you expect?

Those arguing FOR friendlies, let me ask you this:
Have you ever played a game that literally had an option to earn the same amount of credits, as somebody else, but doing absolutely NOTHING while other people work to earn them? That's basically what it is. I understand it's more convenient, especially with how busy all of us are with our lives. The thing is, friendlies are extremely flawed. I have only found two games of battle today, and I played all night after work. That's saying something.

People would rather take the easy way out, and let someone else run the flag for them, in friendly, while they sit and do nothing to contribute to those points other than just showing up. It's lazy. I'm guilty of playing friendly as well, trust me. When I get off work late, and I'm tired-seeing an open friendly slot (and generally no battle slots available), I of course will take the easy way out. I figure heck, I can get some chores done while sit in friendlies in the background and literally earn FREE credits

I see both points of view. On one hand, I can see it being more convenient for people who have busier schedules, and simply don't have time to play battle after battle.

On the other hand, it DOES hurt the competitive energy for pirates. It's sad that people would rather just earn credits the easy way, rather than earning credits based on how well they did. I just feel it's personally more rewarding to earn them by improvement in your performance.

I suggest possibly separating them into two separate lobby's. One for friendly, and one for battle. Maybe even limiting the amount of credits earned for Capture the Flag.
 
#10
Personally, I like friendly games. I suck at pirates and i'd rather not get yelled at by those hardcore players for doing poorly. So being able to chat with friends, in a more casual game setting is nice. I do understand the frustration in trying to find a regular ship battle game in all the friendlies, so maybe assigned lobbies can be a thing in the future.
 
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PlayerOne

I shoot when you're stuck.
#12
Apologize for any grammar mistakes, typing this all out on mobile.

As most are aware, I am against friendlies. It is the only game where there is NO incentive to be good. Playing friendlies is far more profitable than competitive, even for the best pirates players. More credits, keys, and crates per hour. Name another game where you earn MORE rewards for not actually playing the game, rather than winning it. To everyone saying they are bad at the game and that's why they like friendlies: Guess what, it takes practice to become good. I have literally never seen anybody get "yelled at" for being bad at competitive pirates. If anyone ever sees me online and doesn't want to play because they are intimidated, I will happily play on your team.

Without trying to appear like I am boasting, I will say I win a very large majority of the Pirates games I play. And I don't even come CLOSE to how many credits/keys friendly players earn. That's right, people who have no skill in the game and literally just sit there while 1 person runs the game are rewarded more than any competitive player. Someone please justify to me how that is in any way fair.
 

Wonder

Well-Known Member
#13
Apologize for any grammar mistakes, typing this all out on mobile.

As most are aware, I am against friendlies. It is the only game where there is NO incentive to be good. Playing friendlies is far more profitable than competitive, even for the best pirates players. More credits, keys, and crates per hour. Name another game where you earn MORE rewards for not actually playing the game, rather than winning it. To everyone saying they are bad at the game and that's why they like friendlies: Guess what, it takes practice to become good. I have literally never seen anybody get "yelled at" for being bad at competitive pirates. If anyone ever sees me online and doesn't want to play because they are intimidated, I will happily play on your team.

Without trying to appear like I am boasting, I will say I win a very large majority of the Pirates games I play. And I don't even come CLOSE to how many credits/keys friendly players earn. That's right, people who have no skill in the game and literally just sit there while 1 person runs the game are rewarded more than any competitive player. Someone please justify to me how that is in any way fair.
Why do you care? It's your CHOICE to play the game that way. Friendly games are not exploiting anything and are permitted. You can play friendly too if you feel you aren't getting enough prizes by playing battle. No one has an advantage over you because you're CHOOSING to play the way you want to. Can I stress anymore that you're CHOOSING not to play it that way?

Also, if you're all so worried about the "health" of the game and that friendly pirates is threatening that (lol), then you should have Double Credit Weekends banned. They make credits worthless and drive up the prices of everything. So if we're really gonna play this whiny game, maybe we should actually evaluate what's "ruining" the game.
 

PlayerOne

I shoot when you're stuck.
#14
Hey, I'm really bad at fireworks. But I don't want to practice and get better. Amy, can you make it so I can just sit in the game and not play, but earn more credits than those who do? I mean, it won't harm those who choose to play normal fireworks.

And mind keeping this civil wonder? I'm happy to have a logical discussion and debate on the matter, but these threads usually get closed or deleted because people can't follow the rules. Rule #6:
It also means don't make posts calling out specific people for specific things
And of course friendlies are exploiting it. It doesn't matter whether they're allowed or not, if your trying to determine whether something is an exploit. It's utilizing game mechanics in a way that was not intended by the developers to maximize the amount of rewards. Like any of the other games, the rewards are meant just as that: a reward for winning. I'm sorry if your bad at pirates, but that shouldn't be an excuse to circumvent the way the game was meant to be played.

And you failed to answer my question: why should a player who is not playing the game earn more rewards than a player who plays and wins the game?


If friendlies are a great addition to MyVMK, than why not just make it so everyone gets credits and keys from just being online? I mean, it's about the same amount of effort.
 

Wonder

Well-Known Member
#16
Hey, I'm really bad at fireworks. But I don't want to practice and get better. Amy, can you make it so I can just sit in the game and not play, but earn more credits than those who do? I mean, it won't harm those who choose to play normal fireworks.

And mind keeping this civil wonder? I'm happy to have a logical discussion and debate on the matter, but these threads usually get closed or deleted because people can't follow the rules. Rule #6:

And of course friendlies are exploiting it. It doesn't matter whether they're allowed or not, if your trying to determine whether something is an exploit. It's utilizing game mechanics in a way that was not intended by the developers to maximize the amount of rewards. Like any of the other games, the rewards are meant just as that: a reward for winning. I'm sorry if your bad at pirates, but that shouldn't be an excuse to circumvent the way the game was meant to be played.

And you failed to answer my question: why should a player who is not playing the game earn more rewards than a player who plays and wins the game?


If friendlies are a great addition to MyVMK, than why not just make it so everyone gets credits and keys from just being online? I mean, it's about the same amount of effort.
I mean, you’re continuously generalizing all friendly players as “bad at pirates” so if you could stop doing that :/


If the developer (Amy) said it’s not against the rules, then it’s NOT an exploit. You’re forgetting this isn’t the original VMK anymore. Almost every single private server I’ve played of ANY game alters the original mechanics to be easier or more beneficial to players. The point of private servers is to make the game how you WANT it to be. You don’t have to play by the original games rules. If friendly bothers you so much, there are at least 2 other mini games you can be strictly competitive in.

And simply, it’s allowed in the rules. It doesn’t have to be justified.
And at the end of the day, a key doesn’t guarantee you get a prize so :violin:
 

Tony Stark

I still believe in heroes.
#17
If it is that big of a deal how about the players who are annoyed with it choose another instance to all play in regular games with each other? Simple as that... Or is that just too logical?

How about a better option instead of banning friendly games is to keep things like the popups in rooms, bring back clams for crates/keys, lower the points needed to get a crate. All of these things will help slow down or stop friendly games. Not only that but, honestly, I think it makes POTC run more than it has been in the last few months or so. If we're all being honest, MyVMK is going downhill a little bit and since the release of these crates and the release of the public room popups, those are the times when the game is the busiest. So... All in all I think that these things help move the game more and bring more players in for the new releases and stuff. There were times with no crates and things when I would go into the POTC lobby and it would be totally empty, if not two people in there at most.

It's not about the friendly games, it's about the game as a whole being populated and moving - which friendly helps add to.
 

daniellevk

Well-Known Member
#18
it's just myVMK...... why not worry about real serious problems rather than an online game?
It's your problem if you don't like people playing friendly.. it's your decision to play it or not.
No point of whining about it. Seriously, come on its just an online game and no point of going crazy over something little.
 

PlayerOne

I shoot when you're stuck.
#19
if you get upset over someone getting virtual keys by doing nothing then idk what to tell you
Lol this is such a terrible argument that comes up anytime anything to do with items or value in the game come up. "Nothing matters!! Their just pixels!!!". It's funny, though, most of the people who use this argument are the ones with tons of items. Why not just give them all away? I mean according to you, their just pixels. If your that attached to a bunch of virtual items, I don't know what to tell you.


@Wonder No, not everyone who plays friendlies is bad at Pirates, I was simply using the reasons posted by other people earlier in the thread in my argument. And yes, obviously friendly games is allowed in the rules. That's the very thing this thread was created to discuss, on whether it should continue to be allowed. And yeah, a key doesn't guarantee anybody a prize. Though the more keys one has = the better chances of obtaining a prize. I was in the treasure room when the chest prizes first got updated this month. First person to pull the new hat? Someone who had ~45 gold keys from friendlies. That's not even a realistic number to obtain from competitive pirates.

I tried logging on this weekend to relax and play some POTC, couldn't find a ship battle game. Did see 7 different friendlies cycling in and out of the lobby though.


I also know this thread (like the many discussing friendlies before it) will lead to no changes, and that I am in the minority opinion with my stance.
 
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