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Eventus -> RE: Saboteurs ("Trolls") in Team Battle Modes (1/8/2013 13:35:32)
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Hiya there!
This is actually a very good question. In fact, it's an excellent one which I debated over with a fellow member just a few weeks ago, but I don't recall having ever reached a consensus in that argument. It is definitely against the rules if someone with malicious intent sabotages team battles and makes such intent explicit (you can report those folks if you take a screenshot of the saboteur explicitly mentioning their malicious intents), but what if the intent was implicitly conveyed?
My argument:
I play EpicDuel quite a bit myself, meaning I have been privy to witness such "trolling" occasions as well. I can relate to exactly how frustrating it can be when your partner in a team battle mode (i.e. 2v2 or Juggernaut) is the sole reason why what should have been a victory turned into an unjust loss—only because the said partner was a likely troll who had minimal useful stats (e.g. the mentioned minimum 45 hp for a 1-2 hit KO or maximum hp that epitomizes target practice more than a dueling partner) or a downright newbie weapon to offer in help during battle with, when it was clear that he or she was very much capable of improving at any point the person desired.
It was annoying when that same partner tagged along into battle with you for five consecutive battles that same day. It was even more irksome when you saw the exact same person again just a few months later with the exact same stat placement, weapon, and a ton of additional losses to show for it.
I firmly believe in the idea that a team can only be as good as the sum of its parts. That means that in order to function effectively as a team in a team battle mode, it is essential that every member of the team works equally hard to succeed; there should be absolutely no slacking off. Unfortunately, that also means that if one team member were to slack off, then the overall quality and effectiveness of the entire team as a whole would inevitably degrade to the possible point of ineffectiveness. You shouldn't try to use a rubber hammer to hammer in metal nails, or a metal hammer to hammer in rubber nails, so why consider using rubber materials at all instead of what you should (and could) be using: a metal hammer and metal nails?
That being said, I argued that saboteurs in team battle modes shouldn't get away with it—that it was, without a doubt, a punishable offense. After all, they are basically ruining/disrupting gameplay by forcing losses upon their partners in team battle modes, right?
Maybe not.
Opposing argument: (in my own words)
The opposing argument was that we can't prove that someone is really intentionally sabotaging a team battle mode effort without concrete evidence. That is, what if the said person wasn't actually a saboteur, but rather, someone who was clueless about the basic mechanics of the game and how to play it? Unless the person at some point actually explicitly declared that he or she was intentionally trying to ruin the team effort, we can't really punish people who even we aren't sure about. The operative word in the phrase "likely troll" is likely, which doesn't denote "definitely." After all, being naïve isn't exactly an infraction, never mind a capital offense.
As a devil's advocate, I presented a hypothetical situation in response to the opposing argument: what would happen if a dozen of these alleged saboteurs turned into, say, 35% of the gaming population? Should moderators still stand back and watch everyone furiously rage at their 45 health partners, or would intervention be necessary? If moderators should stand back, then it's definitely not a punishable offense for trolls who are smart enough not to incriminate themselves by admitting to intentionally indulging in sabotaging (trolling) behavior, but in consequence, you'll probably lose the good faith of those who participate in team battle modes. On the other hand, if moderators will intervene, then it is a punishable offense to implicitly troll and you'll preserve that good faith and fair gameplay. In essence, I argued that trolls do not have to declare themselves as trolls in order to troll: that's what discretion is for. If a level 35 mercenary joins team battles for months with 45 health* and no gear (save for a basic club)**, but never once admits that he is a troll, that doesn't mean that he isn't a troll until he admits to it.
But I'd like to hear other opinions as well. Please, discuss!
*or even just a fully equipped lv35 mercenary with 45 health with a Beta Tester/Gamma Tester cheevo.
**with plenty of better gear in his inventory, as indicated by his character page.
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