Why I stopped playing 0AD

[sofianosss]

Hello,

First I would like to say that this game is the best RTS game I have ever played and I can assure you than I have been playing video games for so long. I have played AOE since 1999 and I am still enjoying RTS games.

The game-play is fun and simple.

Yet, after few games versus IA, I got bored and started playing versus real players in multiplayer. And everything went downhill, no matchmaking system, people leave the game when they want, someone must host the game and if he leaves the game will be lost, if anyone has lag everybody will suffer... So many factors made the multiplayer mode viable only versus trusted opponent which isn't easy to have.

I am guessing that it is hard to solve these problems since the game is free to play and having a game server would probably be costly, but I really wanted to share this feedback.

Anyways, thank you for this game, I know this is a free game and players shouldn't be asking for stuff like if they were ungrateful.

I really wish to see 0AD with weekly updates and a viable ranked system.

Thanks anyways

sofianosss

[wowgetoffyourcellphone]

I am wondering if the team have investigate hosting all games on a server or allowing personal dedicated server with mods. How much would cost?

[Imarok]

42 minutes ago, wowgetoffyourcellphone said:

I am wondering if the team have investigate hosting all games on a server or allowing personal dedicated server with mods. How much would cost?

The problem are not the costs. The problem is there is no dedicated server atm. (we are working on it: #3556)

[wowgetoffyourcellphone]

Just now, Imarok said:

The problem are not the costs. The problem is there is no dedicated server atm. (we are working on it: #3556)

Oh, I just thought it may have be too expensive. A dedicated server would really put 0 A.D. over the top.

[Imarok]

Just now, wowgetoffyourcellphone said:

Oh, I just thought it may have be too expensive. A dedicated server would really put 0 A.D. over the top.

A dedicated server for 0AD would require nearly no resources, so it won't be a cost issue if implemented imho.

[JC (naval supremacist)]

 

You cannot prevent people from troll-leaving  a game.

But a leave,resign ratio score should be created beside a ping indicator and the existing rank score.  This way, the hoster should be able to identify lag-leavers-noobs trolls before setting and starting a game.

[FeXoR]

On 22.10.2016 at 2:19 PM, JC (naval supremacist) said:

...lag-leavers-noobs trolls...

What is that supposed to mean?

PPL with a slow or unstable internet connection are AFAIK meant to play 0 A.D. (hence the rejoin option - if I'm not misstaken).

People who leave the game and don't rejoin within a given ammount of time should simply be handled as losing the game - since they are not playing it.

I'm quite sure "noob" is a plain insult and should be avoided - even if noone specific is pointed at!

Same goes for "trolls" IMO - ask a moderator and they can handle the case if seen fit.

 

And in general: Identifying players that don't fit well in a particular game is not as easy as looking at some stats IMO... and definitely a matter of taste.

[elexis]

On 28.10.2016 at 2:42 PM, FeXoR said:

People who leave the game and don't rejoin within a given ammount of time should simply be handled as losing the game - since they are not playing it.

That is true for rated 1v1s. Team games are a different story as setting players who left to defeated won't help the team that misses the player.

On 22.10.2016 at 2:19 PM, JC (naval supremacist) said:

 This way, the hoster should be able to identify lag-leavers-noobs trolls before setting and starting a game.

On 28.10.2016 at 2:42 PM, FeXoR said:

I'm quite sure "noob" is a plain insult and should be avoided - even if noone specific is pointed at!

Same goes for "trolls" IMO - ask a moderator and they can handle the case if seen fit.

And in general: Identifying players that don't fit well in a particular game is not as easy as looking at some stats IMO... and definitely a matter of taste.

• Lag-trolls: Most people who are affected by lag are sorry for it, try and often do fix it. But there are f.e. some that acknowledge that they are lagging everygame every time, also observers yet won't leave the game freely wasting the time of all clients.

Or people who rejoin a running game as late-observer, causing a very noticeable performance-lagspike. Once successfully connected they say hi, leave the game again, start rejoining again and again for no reason.

• Noob-trolls: Claiming to be an experienced player and then building 2 houses in the entire game.
• Leaver-trolls: Discussing the game settings, playing for some time, then resigning and exiting arbitrarily, without any warning, sometimes even without being attacked, thus defeating the entire team (typically gaia units killing the entire tradeline). (Often observers would be willing to play in place of the leaving palyer, but that won't work if he has resigned and decided to let his units attack his allies).

I agree that it doesn't sound feasible nor sensible to track these things statistically.

On 28.10.2016 at 2:42 PM, FeXoR said:

ask a moderator and they can handle the case if seen fit.

A moderator shouldn't be required for the issues above. The players inevitably have to identify how their teammates will play or whether they will end up sabotaging the match on purpose or due to  negligence. It is the duty of the host to confirm and take the decision to either unassign or ban clients that are not compatible.