Block complete newbies and low spec hardware from multiplayer.

[titi]

1. We somehow need to block complete newbies from playing multiplayer!
2. We need to block people wiith ultra low hardware specs from entering multiplayer.

Especially 1. is very important because there are people who attack their teammates, because they completly don't know how to play the game. They don't get gold and just click around. Those people are very bad for multiplayer.

2. is annoying too, because you start a game and after 5 minutes they drop out .....

Suggestion how to achieve this:
1. we need a scenario that comes up whenever a noob tries to play multiplayer. We do not unlock the real internet menu if the newbie does not win this scenario. In the scenario we shoudl maybe record the fps somehow. If he just gets an average of below 30 or 40fps  we tell him that his hardware is too bad to play multiplayer.

[Carl the Great]

I've got like an 8-year old Windows 7 laptop while playing MegaGlest; never updated in like 6 months.

[titi]

and ?

[andy_5995]

1. We somehow need to block complete newbies from playing multiplayer!

Suggestion how to achieve this:
1. we need a scenario that comes up whenever a noob tries to play multiplayer. We do not unlock the real internet menu if the newbie does not win this scenario. In the scenario we shoudl maybe record the fps somehow. If he just gets an average of below 30 or 40fps  we tell him that his hardware is too bad to play multiplayer.

Similar to your suggestion: have a rating level for that user stored locally in the userDataPath. If he or she completes the tutorial, or win any one of the "easy" scenarios their rating would be high enough to play a multi-player game.

In the scenarios menu, only display "easy" scenarios. When his or her rating increases, unlock the difficult scenarios.

You'd also have lock out the option to 'publish on master server' from the LAN game setup screen.

Maybe a good approach would be to not lock or disable anything, but have a rating displayed next to their name. That way, other players can make the choice whether or not to try playing with the new user.

For instance, my name would show as 'andy_5995(3).

In game setup/hosting, a box to check: 'allow newbies'?

As for computer specs, while I'm not a coder, I like the idea of recording fps rather than probing their hardware.

Perhaps a ping test could be enabled. I wouldn't even mind if MG did a ping test for *me* before trying to start an MP game. If ping is too low, cout a message saying something similar to "Your network may not support an MP Game at this time. Try again later, or play now?"

[John.d.h]

There may be times when two complete newbies want to play against each other, or maybe a more experienced player is trying to get his/her newbie friend into the game.  This is an edge case that needs to still be allowed somehow.

[Ishmaru]

Instead of blocking them entirely, how about just ranking a player based on how many multiplayer/single games are played? That way they could play if allowed or kept out if unwanted.

[andy_5995]

Here's another idea for a ranking system:

A player scores 10,000 points, he gets a ranking of 1

He plays a few more games, another 20,000 points gets him a ranking of 2

40,000 gets him a ranking of 3

80,000 = 4

160,000 = 5

320,000 = 6

[titi]

Thats all very complicated and this is really not about a ranking system, so how about this:

In the settings (  glestuser.ini ) we have  a switch "InternetGamesAllowed" .
if this is set to true you are allowed to enter internet lobby. If you don't have this switch set to true in ini, a scenario is started intead of entering the internet menu. This scenario states with text that you first have to win this scenario before you are allowed to play online. If you win this scenario we set InternetGamesAllowed to true. So form this point you are allowed to play online multiplayer. We don't block lan play like this.

If needed and people have knowledge they can simply set this switch in the ini file. Maybe we can allow it to set this switch in the ingame options if really needed.

In the settings we have a second switch called "InternetGamesBlockScenario" with the name of the scenario we want to use. If it is not set , no internet menu blocking is done. By this mods can choose their behaviour too.

[nig]

naa, dont block anyone. Community should manage noobs and trolls.
Maybe its a good idea to have a noob or test flag on games, so that bored pros can avoid those games and noobs can have a try with each other.

please, do not block something. Its just ugly and will not stop any troll having fun with you. But it will dissapoint new players- and we want them, right?

greets
nig

[filux]

Imo those "flagged noobs" or general ranks are not the best ideas, because it itself give ideas to avoid someone (others) all the time, so e.g. newbies will ~ always play only with other newbies, so it kills "united society".

I don't have an opinion about "blocking newbies" yet but I see at least one advantage, with this if in game someone from your team will attack your units/buildings then there is no confusion anymore, 99% certainty that it is a troll.

[titi]

Maybe you don't get the point, we get less players with these newbies! Its VERY annoying for someone to start a game with a player who does ... nothing. adn don't even know how to mine gold or something and what the game is about.
Blocking is a too hard word anyway, it's more "protect complete newbies of accidently starting online games"
And they really just have, to win a VERY easy scenario one time! ( or they have to know which settings to change in ini file ). I am even willing to add a commandline options and  a switch in the ingame options for this.

Another reason is that those headless servers are VERY expensive! One of us has to pay them all the time.

So before everyone cries "Don't Block" please try git version and see it for yourself

[nig]

After spending 2 days getting Visualstudio2015 to work I tried the scenario.

and I am still crying.



please do not block...

know your noobs and help them, or block their ip in special game, but not the lobby.
do not pegida, you kindle!

greets
nig

[Coldfusionstorm]

blocking should never be done, show a warning when entering the internet lobby.

[These games are multiplayer games] We don't recommend starting a multiplayer game before completion of the tutorial.

And then have a flag tutorialcompleted=yes. Wich makes the warning dissapear.

[filux]

blocking should never be done, show a warning when entering the internet lobby...

Warning for whom?

So are you suggesting "warning for a newbie"? which will be of course ignored and "initial problem" still exist.

... or are you suggesting "warning for everyone else"? so in the IRC everyone will see something like:

[20:35] --> MG_newbie_693 XXX joined this channel.
[20:35] <MG_newbie_693>   <<   Warning: Beware this player is a noob!.

and always like this? 

Personally I don't see better method than titi's for now, because:
- problem with annoying newbies will be solved,
- in the lobby every player still will be "equal" and will not be kicked/banned from games just because they have "too low or too high ranking",
- if titi will finish initial idea then newbies will also get warning about "not enough good PC for multiplayer",

... besides this I am a bit curious:
- when was last time when Coldfusionstorm played a multilayer MG game through lobby and with what nick?
and
- when was last time when Coldfusionstorm played in cooperation with a newbie which for few first minutes in game did completely nothing and then was trying to destroy Coldfusionstorm's buildings?
... because if someone never or not enough recently was affected by this then he don't feel the pain enough 

[Coldfusionstorm]

That is a exstremely elitist stance, imho and btw

I don't know pain?, i played leauge the other day, The girl i was playing with was standing still while taking damage, did not avoid ANY skill shots, missed her own HUGEASS skillshot, did not check bushes, so yes I KNOW PAIN!. Oh yes, she died alot wich ACTIVELY HELPS THE OTHER TEAM!

We will always have noobs, what we need is a good environment for them to grow as RTS players, blocking people from playing will only prevent Megaglest from gaining new players. And is a schoolyard policy imo.

Everyone started as a newbie, be nice to them.

in relation to titi's #2
While i think it would be nice to be sure to have games ran smoothly into the end i doubt the way to do it is prevent low end machines from playing. Warcraft 3 is a good comparison for this.
More settings for visual settings would be good. a short unit test in the settings wich does this:
Loads a map
Spawns 10 units on one side. Issues move commands and attack commands
Spawns 10 units on the other side. Issues move commands and attack commands
Spawns 20units on one side. Issues move commands and attack commands
Spawns 20units on the other side. Issues move commands and attack commands

Then draw some conclusions from this dataset and give a performance score. Have a tip's and help section ingame.

low:your pc can play games with 400 units no problem. 4-8 players 
medium:your pc can play games with 800 units no problem 8-12 players:thumbup:
High: you pac can handle games with 1400 units no problem. 
Exstreme:2000+ units and exstreme graphics no problem 

This would on top give us a ACCURATE picture of both what specs people have and how to debug situations where the game get's slow for no reason.

We can even collect some statics on this and use it to improve the game for the current player base.

[filux]

For sure we are losing "fast testers" which usually are doing sentence: install => click every single button in menu => start some battle (and not finish) => uninstall. Such tests should be done in single player only.

Without blocking we are probably losing some "fresh players" which will meet such annoying newbie in few first battles.

... also remember the fact that "newbie status" you have only once ... and as not newbie you get profits forever

[Coldfusionstorm]

"For sure we are losing "fast testers" which usually are doing sentence: install => click every single button in menu => start some battle (and not finish) => uninstall. Such tests should be done in single player only."

testing?. Could you rephrase that please?

i would really like if we could get some more data on the subject.
Blocking players are exstreme, and if we do it, it should be on a solid argument, and just not what we "think is good".

Instead we could have a small survey efter a game.

1.Were the other players friendly?  "1-5 stars"
2.Did the game run smoothly? "1-5" stars
3.Did you enjoy the game? "1-5"
 [If you have any suggestion you can send them directly to the MG team below here]
                    [OK,Send survey] [No thanks i don't want to take the survey]

I would volunteer to review such messages on a regular basis.