A word about "rep-stealing"...

[Jason Bilgemart]

Yes I know there are "people like me" out there and just because i dont mind sharing my rep does not mean I steal rep. I understand that alot of people dont like it, so i always ask before i attack an enemey that i think might be occupied.

[Dog Firestack]

I was in Tormenta one time and I had some level 49 guy with me. He refused to go in my crew and so I went to fight spineskulls. He kept attacking EVERY enemy I attacked. So I moved to the bridge of kelps and brines and he attacked them all too! After I told him that if you don't stop i'm going to send in a report he left quickly.

I really don't mind if people attack in the middle, because my friend and I DON'T CARE. It's not your enemies and you don't own the game. Learn to share. If you're going to Abassa, YOU KNOW that it's gonna be populated. Of course this doesn't mean that you lose your manners. ASk POLITELY to join in or join their crew and then you can start jumping in the fights. Just cause your a pirate doesn't mean you lose your people skills, aye savvy?

[Dolnor]

I will have to remember to move away when the Big Ships start attacking my targets...since I am only a basic on a raft using basic cannon balls only. Best not get any pirate crew upset...since we are all politically-correct as pirates should be.

I'll try to keep my ARRRs politely quiet from now on.

TQQdles™,

Dolnor Numbwit
Eternal Newbie

[seafox]

..Nice to hear from ye Dolnor....and Ahoy to ye...

[seafox]

Aye, most have agreed that rude behaviour is evil......and yes , there are 'trolls'...we got ye...

But, there are ways to deal with it...and not using offensive language, or threats, etc., like some players do.... as it really doesn't help...and can lead to banning...and that was what I originally spoke to...the response to 'rep stealing' and the concept...

I know I still get very new players who just jump in...cause they want to fight and don't know advanced players have 'etiquette' rules for them to follow...and a lot of them have really bad manners, but they seem to get weeded out early on...

.the rudest ones will always attach themselves like leeches to a higher level plr/ or a player who is working really hard, or has best weapon...makes it really easy on them....I just wait til they put in their couple of licks and I quit fighting...specially bosses...lol...they get knocked on their heineken... Sometimes, they show a lil more respect...sometimes, not...

I crew everyone, basic, low-level , or paid....if they don't crew, and don't play nice...I tell crew imma tp'ing to another server, and which one and where...and it all works out...less stressful...unless, I've found a prime loot drop area...then I feel the burn..

and the bottom line is its still a game where enemies, and quest items, technically belong to everyone in the game....but we can make a difference in how players interact and all of the players can have a better game experience.

[Red Nations]

Originally Posted by Basil Dreadflint View Post
I allow rep stealing. ONCE. If I find that someone is doing it again and again, I have my own tactic. I attack the enemy, and then let the rep stealer get their swipe in. Then I stop fighting and just keep myself alive, while letting the enemy turn onto the rep stealer. I don't offer aid, heal, or revive.

I learned to not attack enemies way above my ability by finding out what level I could defeat, and what level I couldn't. I let rep stealers do the same.

On the other hand, if someone asks to join me, or politely takes turns, or asks for crew, or if I could help them because they are on a quest; then I am the first to help out. Let's face it, I haven't forgotten how much help I was given when I first started out.

I'm with you on this Basil this is pretty much my take on this. If I'm questing and I jump in on something I need for the quest I aplologize and explain I needed it for my quest, I don't follow them around and continue attacking their targets. I don't mind taking turns fighting bosses and healing while the other player fights. I spend a good deal of time seeking out quiet servers and resent it when one or a group shows up jumping my targets, especially after I've gone through multiple server changes finding an area to myself.

Rep stealing is when you are prevented from earning the rep you expect to from mobs you have found and set up. For example, if you find a quiet server with an unused Kingshead field, call the 7 over so that you can smoke them for decent rep, it is rep stealing if someone comes along and takes "your" mob out with 1 shot of flaming skull. Who does Disney penalize for that rep stealing? The rude high level player stealing the rep, or you, who now have to spend 7 to 30 minutes finding a new server?

Aye I remember many times working Kingshead back when we used to work the glitch on the hill above the parade ground for grenades. Spending the time searching out and finding a quiet server only to have one or more people with staffs show up and take over the parade ground. When I got staff I remember going to kinghead and always looking up on the hill to see if anyone was practicing grenades before going out to level staff.

Here is what goes through my mind when some guy does this to me:

* Too lazy to get the Seabeard next to mine.
* Too weak to get his own Seabeard.
* Too needy to play without being noticed, even for being a pratt.
* Too rude to say "Hi" or "Want to crew up?" or anything other than "Heal Me!"
* Might be unaware that it is just bad manners.
* Might be aware that it IS just bad manners but doesn't care.


Anyway, I usually just go elsewhere. Life is too short to deal with the ill-mannered.

This pretty well defines them.

[titanic95594]

I got the same problem noobs follow me everywhere! Its annoying to.

[Red Nations]

Not all of them are noobs, Some of them are fairly high levels, Some just don't know any better and, for some of them they use it as a form of harrassment following other players around and interfereing with them in order to harrass.

[Samarah]

Wow...I just got to level 30 yesterday and until now I was not aware of rep stealing. Anytime anyone comes along and starts fighting an enemy I am fighting I always figured they were trying to help me so I say ty. lol!
Same when I am out sailing and battling a ship, when another ship comes along and helps me take out the ship I am battling I am always grateful..I never get angry. I didnt know it was possible to steal rep. I usually fight alone and crew up only during invasions, so I guess I dont know the main rules or code of conduct.

[seafox]

Samarah, you make my day...thank you But some 'gamers' lose their cool over it with other players was really the whole start of the thread and both sides got a chance to vent...there should be game etiquette as some players are mean people, so they can get downright ugly ingame(even threatening chat), and follow other players , 'aggressively' to steal rep....I am glad you haven't experienced that...

On the other side of the coin,,we have the "I own this Boss/enemy, go away!", attitude of some players...lol.....again, I'm glad you are easy going....that helps set the tone wherever you are for the group...Imma big proponent of teaching by example.


On an up note,,,I seem to see less issue over it among groups now...hope thats the trend.

[Cruise]

I try to always look for a quiet server when I am sailing or fighting to rep. Usually I can find Darkhart alone on a quiet one for a while. I get slightly annoyed when others arrive and just start swinging away with out as much as "would you mind". I always ask first if I see a group after the same thing.

As for sailing, I am trying to rep up my sailing - originally maxed out until the new levels came out. I always go to a quiet server to attack high level ships. I use both cannons and broadsides for higher rep and tend to take out the sails first then use broadsides which reps up both cannons and sailing. I guess I get really annoyed when I see other ships and plenty of other enemy ships but the other ship decides to ram the same ship I am after - When there are plenty of others to go after, even the same type as I am getting. I think this is just downright lazy on that ships part and rude. Why go after the ship I am sinking? Why can't they just go after another if there are a bunch right there.

This is happening A LOT lately that I noticed. No courtesy at all when it comes to this.

[Robmac7777]

Just Sticking my 2 cents in for a second time,

Try to be understanding of players that don't follow the "unwritten" rules regarding rep stealing. If we turn them away from the game, then what have we accomplished? In no way does POTCO reference The Way of the Jedi, but try to keep that in mind.

Walk the higher path.

IMHO,

Rob

[Edward Edgemenace]

Originally Posted by Robmac7777

Just Sticking my 2 cents in for a second time,

Try to be understanding of players that don't follow the "unwritten" rules regarding rep stealing. If we turn them away from the game, then what have we accomplished? In no way does POTCO reference The Way of the Jedi, but try to keep that in mind.

Walk the higher path.

IMHO,

Rob

I don't know that anyone is turning them away from the game. Each time this familiar topic arises here, more people learn that it is considered rude. It's an education thing, for POF'ers to look at it maybe in a new way.

Disney is to blame for having rep-stealing programmed in as an integral part of the game. And perhaps, one might conclude that only people very comfortable with rep-stealing, stick around? (I don't agree with that conclusion.) Since Disney doesn't do much of anything, to encourage non-rep-stealing play when in those situations then only Disney can be blamed for people acting in a rude way, in those situations.

The most obvious thing I can see Disney fixing to lessen this problem, is to restore the teleport feature properly. You should be able to change servers when on Kingshead or Tormenta (or any island) and not be penalized by having to sail back there AGAIN. The game already has most of that code in place; why it doesn't work correctly is quite a mystery. (Yes, logging out or going to jail, you should return to port of call, but not merely switching servers to avoid a rude player.)

The other major major major thing Disney could do, which would require an astonishingly little amount of programming, is allow captains to boot players off their ships in regular sailing, not just privateering. The feature has not caused any grief in all the time it has been available in privateering.

When very polite people are lead to do seemingly rude things because of the game's inherent rep-stealing design, it is bad for everyone. Educating people on what rep-stealing actually is, can alleviate some of bad juju in those situations. If someone doesn't even know they are "rep-stealing" they can start things off on the wrong foot. Granted, usually rep-stealers are rude people overall. But sometimes it is simply someone who just doesn't know, or thinks they are "helping" defeat a nasty enemy.

Summertime sees a huge influx of very young, new pirates. So from now until about September, be prepared to see a log more of this...

[Captain Sureshot]

Originally Posted by Robmac7777

Just Sticking my 2 cents in for a second time,

Try to be understanding of players that don't follow the "unwritten" rules regarding rep stealing. If we turn them away from the game, then what have we accomplished? In no way does POTCO reference The Way of the Jedi, but try to keep that in mind.

Walk the higher path.

IMHO,

Rob

I agree. There seems to be some type of supposed entitlement a few pirates exhibit when someone else "steals" their rep, and all of a sudden it is ok for the "offended" pirate to be rude or harass the other pirate. IMO being rude because someone else is rude is hypocrisy, but that's just me lol. I imagine a few younger or new pirates were turned off the game by the obviously rude behavior of someone they didn't even realize they had "stolen" rep from.

As far as POTCO is concerned, rep stealing: not in and of itself a violation of the TOU; harassment: always a definite violation of the TOU.

Imagine that not everyone who plays the game (1) is like you (2) understands exactly how you're playing the game (3) thinks you are in a position over them that they should heed your instructions on how they should play the game (4) realizes that they are on your private server... oh, wait a second, there are no private servers (in the live game) because this is an MMOG: Massive MULTI-PLAYER Online Game. If you want a private server, you could try to contact Disney. They probably would be hesitant, but if they would acquiesce you probably couldn't afford it lol.

Originally Posted by seafox

anyone who thinks they are better than anyone,,,in game ,,,or out ain't fooling this pirate...or Disney(I'll say it again, "..it is what it is")....if ye be bored, take a break to have some RL fun...try to remember what its like to be a new player.....or a kid...coming into this exciting game....

umm, yeah, what seafox said.

[Dog Firestack]

One thing about not being able to boot for actual real sailing. They MIGHT I repeat MIGHT not do it because of people misusing it. They might just boot off everybody they sea or if they get some full royals they boot off everybody on the ship so they just wasted their time. This might be the ONLY reason why they won't do this, or they're just lazy to hit a fwe buttons to let it happen.