Comm Vote Volunteer

Discussion in 'Feedback' started by Theowningone, Dec 18, 2008.

  1. Theowningone

    Theowningone Noone likes me :'(

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    This was suggested in game but no one brought it here so i thought i would.

    What if we made people have to volunteer to command so that they arent shown on the voting list if they dont volunteer. It would save people from the classic "You are in a clan so you must be pro" BS and possibibly make it so some noobs dont get the comm seat.
     
  2. Trid3nt

    Trid3nt Member

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    But if no-one puts themselves up, you're screwed. Maybe if you select yourself, your name should be highlighted, so people know you want to command.
     
  3. Theowningone

    Theowningone Noone likes me :'(

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    I think if no one puts themself up it should be randomized. That way a noob may get a chance to learn, and people can't even complain if they dont want to comm themselves.
     
  4. Ikalx

    Ikalx Member

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    This has been suggested many many times in the past. AFAIK there are two variants - an "opt out" button, and a "volunteer" button like you've suggested. Almost always it turns out that people think an opt-out button would be better.

    And AFAIK, it hasn't been done yet simply because the devs haven't got around to it. It's the simple things that get pushed back sometimes...

    Edit: Oh, it'll probably get in around the same time as the new GUI - so...mebbe might make 2.3...?
     
  5. Aquillion

    Aquillion Member

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    Several things.

    First, if nobody puts themselves up, you are probably screwed anyway. I would rather focus on improving and increasing the likelihood of games where there is someone who wants to comm enjoying the position, than on the horrible prospect of 'forcing' people who don't want to comm to comm.

    Second, people just get out of the CV if you force them. It happens all the time; I've seen more and more of it, to the point where it feels like every other game someone just silently gets out of the CV, leaving our team completely screwed.

    Third, and most importantly by far: An opt-in option would ensure that it would be immediately obvious when nobody is willing to comm. This is an extremely, massively important point. When it is obvious that nobody is willing to comm, that puts pressure on everyone to change their mind, since the game will not start until there's someone who will comm.

    And that is the final piece of this suggestion: I don't agree with selecting random people and tossing them in the CV, not under any circumstances. I don't agree with the current system of letting the team just throw anyone in the CV and hoping they change their mind once they're in the comm interface (it does not work, and I am sick and tired of the number of games it's ruined for me.)

    At the end of the day, you need someone to willingly sit in the CV and comm. The game cannot be played without one such person on each team. Therefore, I propose that there should be an opt-in system for comms; and if nobody on a team has opted in or received a vote by the time the round timer drops to a certain point (say, 30 or lower), it simply stops counting down until there's a candidate, and a big red 'WARNING: No players willing to comm on [BE/NF]" sign appears so everyone knows what's up.

    People can discuss it with each other, then, or beg someone on the other team to switch, or whatever -- but the game cannot, and should not, start without someone who is clearly willing and able to command in the seat of the CV. Empires revolves around the comm. It's not something you can randomly hoist off on some unlucky sucker, or pick someone at random to do. If there is not anyone willing to actively step forward and comm, then the game itself should not start until at least one player can be convinced to change their mind.

    I think that you will find reluctant people stepping forward under this system; the fact that both teams are delayed and a big red warning displayed to both sides also increases the chance that someone willing to comm will switch teams to do so -- something that is virtually impossible now (there wouldn't be enough time to even get the message across, under the current system -- assuming you even realize there's nobody willing to comm, which is almost impossible to start with.) You will never -- or almost never -- see what we have now constantly, with people getting into the CV and immediately jumping out.

    I would rather have the start of a game delayed 30 seconds or so while we discuss who is willing to comm, than to have to sit through an entire ten or twenty minute game that is rendered painfully unwinnable because we were confused over comms after it started.

    Right now, there isn't even any way to see that nobody is willing to comm. I strongly suspect that in most cases twenty seconds of discussion between the two teams would be enough to find a willing candidate on just about any server -- but because the system is so stupidly geared towards "NOW NOW NOW, NO TIME FOR DISCUSSION, SOMEONE SHOUT A NAME -- OK, WHO THE HELL CARES WHO THEY ARE, THEY COMM!", we end up ruining entire games for the sake of starting a few seconds earlier. Given the importance of the comm, it would be better to encourage people to discuss who's going to do it, and to discourage the idea of just grabbing someone at random / because they have a clan tag in their name or whatever.

    Every time this discussion comes up, someone always mentions that they think there are 'reluctant' comms who would never opt in, but end up reluctantly comming if their team forces them by voting. I submit that if the game was set up so it was immediately obvious when nobody else is willing to comm, and if the game would not start until someone agreed to step forward, then those would be the same people who would immediately agree. And I think that this system -- which ends up finding the 'least' unwilling person, the first one willing to put their name forward when it becomes clear someone has to -- is better than the current system, which boils down to "whoever has a clan tag next to their name or gets voted for first."

    (A special case: If there is only one person on a server, period, the game should of course start even though nobody is being nominated for the enemy comm.)
     
    Last edited: Dec 19, 2008
  6. Starcitsura

    Starcitsura Member

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    </topic>
    Aquillion has said all there is to say.
     
  7. Ikalx

    Ikalx Member

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    I guess this is one time where opt-in wins ^^
     
  8. GoodGame

    GoodGame Member

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    Very good idea. ^^
     

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