Designing a MMORPG Feedback System 86
Gamasutra is running one of their highly enjoyable 'soapbox' pieces, looking at possible ways you could implement a feedback or ranking system for Massively Multiplayer Online Game players. From the article: "When playing an MMORPG, I should be able to give a positive, neutral, or negative rating to anyone who has been in my group for more than thirty minutes. Negative ratings could be characterized via a multiple-choice list of common gripes (i.e. 'loot theft', 'abusive language', etc) -- a feature now built into the Xbox Live feedback system. However, it isn't clear that a good feedback system requires this level of depth; there's an argument to be made for simplifying the process as much as possible."
Sliding Scale (Score:4, Interesting)
These mods will "expire" after a couple of days so that players can start a new leaf.
Re:Sliding Scale (Score:1)
Did /. invent the modderation system? (Score:1)
Jim, I'm sorry, but I have to mod you a -1 n00b (Score:2)
-Eric
Slashdot is a MMORPG (Score:1)
Sorry for noob question... (Score:1)
Re:Sorry for noob question... (Score:2)
N00b.
Re:Sorry for noob question... (Score:2)
This is a classic case of being modded out of context
-Jar.
Re:Sorry for noob question... (Score:1)
Re:Sorry for noob question... (Score:2)
Re:Sorry for noob question... (Score:3, Funny)
High Level
Excellent Karma
Never been used to troll
Posts at +2
Re:Sorry for noob question... (Score:1)
Re:Sorry for noob question... (Score:1)
wts [Fiery Slashdot Of Grammar Correction +2]
decent idea... (Score:4, Informative)
FYI - this was tried in Ragnarok Online but it was taken off due to abuse. People would pay (in game) money for positive points, and you'd have people who would stalk you and give negatives at every opertunity. You could only give 1 point per day, but it was still abused by people having multiple characters on one account or multiple accounts. It opened people up to a lot of threats as well, as a planned implementation of the system would have been more chance to drop equipment when you died.
Re:decent idea... (Score:1)
Re:decent idea... (Score:1)
Retaliation.
If you're out in a field leveling, you know who just marked you down for dumping something on you/kill stealing/etc.
While your negative point to that person is justified, that person can just fire back at you with a negative. Roughly the equivalent (though not as severe) of telling a criminal who turned you in and where you live... it wouldn't exactly encourage you to use that end of the system.
Re:decent idea... (Score:1)
1. Players paying in-game or real life money for positive points
2. Griefers who throw around negative ratings for the hell of it
3. Large guilds / clans that will dilute the meaning of the ratings by boosting their members up while boosting rival members down
4. Large guilds / clans gaining way too much influence in the game as
Re:decent idea... (Score:1)
Pros of this system: You have to wait till lvl 15 to fame or defame. Meaning a person couldn't easily create multiple characters just to fame or defame someone. Additionally you can only have 3 characters on any given server. So even if they did get them all up to lvl you could only do it
Interesting? Insightful? (Score:1)
Has bad Karma ever driven a Slashdotter away?? These types of community style initiatives usually work out pretty well and generally add to value to the experience but I don't think it would drive me over the pay/don't pay edge.
Re:Interesting? Insightful? (Score:1)
Re:Interesting? Insightful? (Score:1)
But what does Slashdot karma affect? (Score:2)
If I'm playing a game, and I have a red flashing light over my head that says "LOOT THIEF", that, however, will impact my opportunities within the game, and my enjoyment of it -- especially if I'm paying money for the privilege.
The problem is that no part of a game 'regulates' gameplay, as if from heaven -- it only changes the nature of the game being played. Lots of people will be delighted to discover the "apportioning blame" sub-game
I doubt it could work. (Score:4, Insightful)
For example, a guild could have all of its members give each other high ratings. Or they could band together to give poor ratings to someone that pisses them off.
Collaborative Filtering (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:I doubt it could work. (Score:3, Interesting)
One easy way to prevent the "mob mentality" is to check to see what affiliations/connections people have when they rate a person. If I'm an asshole, I'm probably going to be an asshole to everyone, NOT just one guild. So theoretically, I should be getting negative feedback from a wide, diverse group of people. The same applies if I'm a nice guy.
So, if a guild tries to work together to boost each other's ratings, or tank someone else's, the f
Re:I doubt it could work. (Score:1)
Re:I doubt it could work. (Score:2)
Arguably there is feedback/moderation system that can't be abused. We all know
Didn't we just discuss this? (Score:3, Interesting)
The result of the conversation was that a rank system could be implemented similar to that of the Military ranks. Rather than working your way up some sort of point system, you'd get your promotions directly from your CO. (That's Commanding Officer for those of you who aren't familiar with the term.) High ranks would be seeded by the "Admiralty" (i.e. The people running the game), thus kicking things off. And if you really don't want to follow the whole rank system, you can always privateer.
At least, it seems to work in the context of Star Trek and military SciFi. YMMV elsewhere.
"feedback" in RPG's out of character? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:"feedback" in RPG's out of character? (Score:2)
Dude. That's a MUD, not an MMORPG. I know the basic concept is the same, but the two *are* considered to be quite different.
Re:"feedback" in RPG's out of character? (Score:2)
Re:"feedback" in RPG's out of character? (Score:1)
Need distributed trust metrics (Score:2)
Just Add One Simple CLI Query to the Lexicon: (Score:2)
And I'm good to go.
Sounds cool (Score:2)
Bad idea (Score:1)
Re:Bad idea (Score:2)
Is it a bad label? A stigma of some sorts? Absolutely! But that's what you get for being the jerk, the griefer, etc.
As for "class clowns", there are ways to be entertaining without ruining the game experience for people. Such a feedback system would, hopefully, separate those that we don't mind seeing (the silly "class clown" types) versus the asshole who
Won't work (Score:4, Insightful)
Hypothetical situation. I form a group, recruit people who want to do (insert dungeon here). Halfway through the run I realize one of the member is incompetent. I remove him and flag him "incompetent". Out of spite he returns the favor and flags me something negative. Yet I've only done what was best for the success of the run, I wasn't using abusive language, I didn't do anything wrong.
Another problem is when there are games where you can reach max level fast. Blacklist the assholes all you want, they will remake as different characters. UO murderer system is perfect example where griefers would level throwaway characters and PK until they got caught. Rinse, repeat.
Another problem is with raid guilds. From experience, raid guilds will recruit the biggest assholes on the server under two condition: They obey the raid leaders and have insanely high play time. Raid guilds don't care if you are an asshole. They care only if you can contribute to their success.
Re:Won't work (Score:1)
Your entire group gives him bad feedback. He gives the entire group bad feedback. You each have 1 bad feedback. He has
Re:Won't work (Score:2)
And it just goes on from there.
Th
Re:Won't work (Score:2)
Re:Won't work (Score:1)
If they have a good enough memo
Easy solution.... (Score:1)
Re:Won't work (Score:2)
MMORPGs aren't just about your goals. They're about shared goals.
If someone wants to be an asshole, but can curb his anti-social behavior to p
Violation specific feedback (Score:3, Interesting)
Too often will I receive a whisper from a character trying have me visit a gold for $ site. I will report them but the process is not stream-lined, it takes a few minutes. If multiple people could quickly flag this character as a gold-seller then blizzard reps would be able to investigate and perma-ban the most abusive accounts.
Re:Violation specific feedback (Score:1)
Re:Violation specific feedback (Score:1)
Re:Violation specific feedback (Score:1)
Re:Violation specific feedback (Score:2)
I think it sucks (Score:2)
Re:I think it sucks (Score:1)
Re:I think it sucks (Score:2)
I just dont like rules about what I can write and what I cannot. Ofcourse, I should choose my friends accordingly, but I really dislike hypocrites that think it's better to kill civilians in iraq than to use a word.
there is a feedback system... (Score:1)
Plus a system like that is open to massive abuse, especially wh
Re:there is a feedback system... (Score:2)
The problem is that AFTER THE FACT, you will find out that X is
Re:there is a feedback system... (Score:1)
Re:there is a feedback system... (Score:2)
I'm not trying to argu
Re:there is a feedback system... (Score:1)
Re:there is a feedback system... (Score:2)
I've very much for reducing stupid-talk in General
Because it worked so well for ebay (Score:3, Funny)
"Perfect, now hand over the Scimitar of the Wolf, or my whole guild will give you retaliatory feedback."
Not just for MMORPGs (Score:2)
Re:Not just for MMORPGs (Score:1)
How many times have you played a team-based FPS (like Counter-Strike), only to run into some asshole who thinks that shooting you in the back constantly is "funny"?
In my quake/tribes days I used to get booted and banned from servers because they thought I was using bots. Your vision isn't flawless.
Re:Not just for MMORPGs (Score:2)
You probably got booted from the server because some jerk admin thought you were using a bot, even though you weren't. But if you put some software in front that does the detection, a la Punkbuster, then you don't have to worry about things like jerk admins. If you still get boo
Fable anyone? (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Fable anyone? (Score:2)
All that that kind of system would do is encourage players to rip off their teammates, knowing that it is allowed by the game and that it only costs them a handful of "dishonour" points which can be easily worked off by a couple hours of two-boxing and healing your other character.
Re:Fable anyone? (Score:1)
As for working off their rep, that could be handled in such a way that the cost/benefit is either dead even or slightly against really undesirable acts. Then they would be MUCH less likely to loot, but the possibility still exists.
People will alway loot, cheat and PK. BUT, if it becomes a lot less desirable to do so just because it was easy, I
Re:Fable anyone? (Score:2)
He was wandering around the world as Lord British when he saw someone robbing another character. He promptly used his godlike powers to freeze the thief, demanded that he return what he had taken and gave him a lecture about not stealing. As soon as he let him go, the thief stole something again and ran off.
When he confronted the thief over why he had continued to
Re:Fable anyone? (Score:2)
Identity verification (Score:3, Insightful)
I've thought for a long time what the MM market needed was a third-party identity broker. Call it 'Good Guys, Inc'. You apply for a GGI account. GGI does a check, verifies you are who you say you are, address, SSN, whatever, and issues you a GGI #.
You buy Worlds of Evercrack, and enter the CD key that came with the game into your GGI account. You login to a GGI-enabled game server, and it uses the gamekey to lookup your GGI account and verifies that that key belongs to a member in good standing. Or, if you've been banned (from that game, or anther game, or whatever they want to check), it boots you or forces you to play on a server comprised of other asshats.
Not infallible, but maybe if it booted the jerks (and ninja-looters, and bots, and pro farmers) from not only that game, but potentially other games that used the service as well, things might start to improve. Or at least segregate the people who want to play the game from those that want to beat up on other players.
Re:Identity verification (Score:3, Funny)
"Hi, Welcome to the Asshattery server, a GGI-positive shart of the Generiquest game. Since you're new here, here are a few rules:
"First, don't be a dick. You'd think that you would know that, but sometimes we have to explain things.
"Second, look for anyone with the <Uberguild> tag over their heads. These people are your gods. Not doing exactly what they say, be it leaving your current campsite, loaning them all the gold in your pockets without ask
Re:Identity verification (Score:2)
So you favour a game in which the characters are not allowed to behave like real people?
I don't think it would work... (Score:2)
eBay'
Re:I don't think it would work... (Score:2)
Would
A Modest Proposal (Score:2)
Eve Online (Score:2, Informative)
They have two great means of this. 1, players can set standings for how they view any player, corporation (think guild), alliance, faction, or what have you. The can rate some(one/thing) on a scale of -10 to +10. At any time you can look at another character's standings to see what PC's, NPC's, Corps, factions, alliances, etc., like or dislike them. Also, committing illegal acts in secure / semi-secure spa
Re:Eve Online (Score:1)
If you piss people off repeatedly then it should show on your character somehow. You have lots of scars and a broken nose. Your ship is all beat-up and shoddy looking showing that merchants don't like you.
It would never be reliable (Score:2)
Examples:
You are a person that likes to take their time going through a dungeon/instance/raid. You want to be thorough. However, you aren't able to find a group with your regular friends, so you do (oh, the horrors!) a PUG. The people you get stuck with are of the OMGZERS HURRY UP! mode. You stay with them, because you don't want to get a horrible score for leaving too early. Your play styles clash too
Sims Cartel? (Score:1)
Tough, very tough (Score:2)
None of them work as they should. The problem is that there is too much abuse in the system. People who want to game a system will always find a way to do so, and it is very hard to design a system that is resilient against that.
Simple example: Everyone can give everyone else a score from 0 (worst) to 10 (best).
Theory: While there are jerks who give bullshit scores, it will averag
Re:Tough, very tough (Score:2)
Actually, I do have something, but it's not a ranking system even close to what's discussed in the article. Anyways, here's how it works:
Players can give "medals" to other players for positive things only. There are no negative marks. This removes the incentive for griefers because there's nothing bad they can do to anyone.
The ability to give out medals depends on the number of medals you've received, so only people judged "good" by other people can give out meda
there is such a system in WOW. (Score:1)