The Free Rider Problem
kiheikid
Posts: 2,168 ✭✭✭✭✭
definitely not happy with my most recent fortress battle being randomly joined by a “teammate” who just sat there and did not engage a single foe.
i wound up having to battle all of the foes
and to add insult to injury, i received no family foundable fragment (if that free rider received a fragment for doing nothing, that would really stink)
Post edited by hpwulola on
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I had a similar experience at fairly high level chamber (I even used a level 5 RS!). We were five while entering the Arena but, every time I defeated a foe, I found less and less people in the Arena! Me and a Professor ended up defeating the remaining 12 Foes on our own. TBH, it felt good!
But I feel you.. We would've felt terrible if the other three just sat there, silently judging us 😅
@HPWUblue yeah I’ve definitely seen free-loaders as well. Perhaps setting something up that requires people to participate and engage at least X number of foes? Or kick them out after a certain period of inactivity? Or at the very least, give them absolutely nothing - no XP, challenge XP, or fragments - at the end if they just sat and watched.
@HPWUblue I am also seeing reports on discord of people not being brought from the waiting area into the lobby. So the timer counts down, hits zero, they aren't taken into the lobby, they tap around and finally get in only to find everyone else already fighting foes. There is also the bug that started with the last update that if someone gets knocked out , when others come back into lobby they are booted from the fight and cannot get back in until the countdown time for the KO is finished.
That said, I've also encountered the free rider.
freeloader is less neutral than free rider, but yeah, let’s just call a spade a spade
for profs, there also is the issue of someone tapping on a foe right after i put the det hex on it but before i can tap on that foe, leaving me with a different foe and not enough focus yet to do a separate det hex ... det hex thief !! 👿
I've been booted from several Dark V battles right after using a bunch if gear for nothing.
I've also been booted on one of my battles. I felt bad! It was like I left my teammates in the lurch.... And this was after I had been silently fuming about people leaving the fortress before all foes were defeated. ;)
I feel more generous towards non-combat participants who seem to chug back invigoration draughts and cast strategics. I had a professor who battled nothing that I saw, but cast defence and proficiency for everyone, and seemed to be det hexing as well.
But yeah, had a few freeloaders which have been irritating.
I would love a game code feature at some point so that I can guarantee playing with friends.
(70 words)
@Magpie31 Well, write a Feature-Request 😘
@Lucoire Why bother? There are enough self-entitled, condescending so-and-sos who will write a 3 page wall of text when a casual comment will do.
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And yes, I'm cranky. I have worked 5.30 - 20.00 or later every day this week, and have just discovered that my friend's staff gave away my beer order for free. So no end of week drink. Very cranky Magpie right now.
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I'd like it if there's feature to choose solo (locked challenge) and group battle.
Still not very comfortable with the crowd and the feeling of did i do my share of battl e well or not.
Just completed my second multi player fortress battle though it was only my FIRST via the Knight Bus. The only other, was early on and all three of us had limited resources as we were all still quite green in our profession development. Essentially we were in the chamber together, but playing solo, just trying to figure it all out. So last night, I checked out this thread and thoroughly studied the chart to prepare. I entered Forest 111 with a level 3 runestone as the 4th of 5 players as a Level 14 Professor with 131/134 lessons completed. My apologies to my teammates whoever they are, cause I don't really know what just happened!!! I have no idea how many foes we had to defeat, and I was totally absorbed with the first step (chart) of tossing my protection charm and scrambling to find werewolves and pixies with my head and ❤️ throbbing! I did manage to defeat 3 or 4 foes, but I have no idea how much or little I contributed to the team, but I tried! So, I can see how some players may just "freeload" to earn rewards, but please remember that some of us are just new to this! Now, back to the chart for me!
We can totally see you professors hexing though @Dextraone et al! I had some great high level battles where I was inundated with focus and got to hang back for a round boosting everyone, before wading in. I think the complaint is simply towards people who enter a lobby and subsequently walk away until the fight is finished, not towards low to medium level, or inexperienced players... :) 💜
Also @kiheikid I tend to boost my team and then hex everything with high stamina (like those bloody spiders!! ;)) and take the werewolves for myself. So I don't mind Aurors taking over my hex. It's all part of my master plan! *muahahaha!*
@Punkyfins Spiders are harmless. Those Acromantulas only want to cuddle... see, how fluffy they are? You've been misunderstanding them the entire time 😉
But seriously though, Acromantulas are only so agressive because Professors have been hunting and hurting them. Be a well behaved Bookworm and tend to your Werewolves. Given time and a gentle Magizoology-Hand, the Acromantulas can be tamed and domesticated (at which time even a study-fanatic like you might be granted access to the precious spider-venom)
@Lucoire (that. Made. My day. 🕷🕷🕷)
Alright, Sir. But that pro-té-go wave of yours *cocks eyebrow*, effective. Though not elegant. I shall go back to my tomes on the uses for acromantula venom. 📔📕📓 (;) :))
@Dextraone welcome to the forum welcome to group fortresses and...
"Every great wizard in history started out as nothing more than we are now, students." -Harry Potter
"Help will always be given at Hogwarts for those who ask for it"-Albus Dumbledore
For new those learning to group fortress from a solo player without a team for communication and guidance had got be be little jumping in the deep end of the pool without being a good swimmer yet.
Our big local group love group play and loves teaching strategies. We will all get stronger united!
Hope you find this link helpful.
@Dextraone many thanks and many kudos to you for wanting to learn! We'll get there together!
Veteran group players please feel free to post positive, helpful tips and tutorial links or video in the above thread as well.
Happy Pottering! Stay safe, be healthy and be well.
edited because link was not working try below
https://community.harrypotterwizardsunite.com/en/discussion/comment/34723#Comment_34723
@Punkyfins
When you get booted and the pop up to “restart” is shown - do not click it. Hard-closedown the app and restart the app that way. It may take a few times - but I’ve been able to get back into the battle that way.
The more group battles I engage in, the more frustrated I get with people who just sit there. I agree with @MrSciGuy that there should be some sort of fail safe where a person would be kicked out or at least get no prizes if they don’t participate in some way. Halo has this, you get kicked out if you are idle for too long, and while it is not fun to be down a team member, at least there is the satisfaction of knowing they aren’t being rewarded for their bad behavior.
Thanks @SUPRMUM22 I'll try that next time.
Unrelated: I can deal with hitchhikers in lower chambers. If there are five of us, with a decent auror a magi and me, you're welcome to a free ride. Just please don't bail in the last two seconds of lobby time in a *high* chamber. It just costs runestones....
Most of the free riders are casting in a brilliant runestone. Let's face it, we've all got dozens of them. Maybe a non-beilliant family runestone requirement could be instiuted.
Though people still want their Errol fragments @xxxlindy . I think the price of a runestone for bailout is reasonable. It's just courtesy to not leave people hanging. But that's a different subject...
I have also encountered multiple free riders so far. Earlier I was in combat with one other person with 4 foes, I killed 2 and they still just sat there I left 😂 But did lose a rune stone. I think they are the same players who have 200 friends and rarely give gifts.
if i solo, i have to spend roughly “X” number of spells to get through “Y” number of foes.
if i am “teamed” with a free rider, “we” now typically face 2Y number of foes, but since the free rider just sits there like a (rhymes with bird) on the lawn, i now have to spend roughly 2X number of spells to get the same amount of rewards (not counting teammate bonus for xp, which is not that important for me) ... ie, i don’t get double the family foundable fragments (mine and the free rider’s).
i like the suggestion by @Kodokmag of allowing us the option to battle solo
@Punkyfins - you’re a good teammate, unlike the free rider who is just a parasite
@Owlx @Dextraone Reading through this thread I started to pick up on the same thoughts you both shared, and I'm glad you did. As an example, my wife loves HPWU and plays religiously every day (same with PokeGo). Despite all the energy I have wasted trying to teach her about fortressing, she never really paid any mind. Simply put, she did what she had to for her dailies and datz it!
With the release of the Knight Bus, she's all over it! She was up till the wee hours of the morning burning through runestones. This morning, once I had a dozen battles or so for initial orientation, I looked at my wife and asked her about spells in battle. She didn't have a clue. I already knew this. I looked at her squarely with a firm glare and told her point blank "no more excuses".
She said "what do you mean?" looking all offended. I said "let me guess; you spent the night joining battles to just pick a foe and go. How many battles did you have?" I said. She started blushing as she realized where I was going with this. "A few" she said sheepishly. "Take the time to learn hon, it's way for fun when you know what's going on, figuring out how to play effectively in a team environment."
For the time being our teammates in battle at Hogwart's Castle are random which provides the least control in team play. I am learning how to play in a team and having a lot of fun doing it. I am also aware that not all players who join a battle know what they are doing so I'm going to cut some ppl slack with their current learning curve. But I will say this. Forest and Dark chambers are not chambers to learn in. These battles usually require a significant investment from players so if you're still figuring out which way is up, you may want to train in lower chambers first and work your way up. When I'm in a Dark chamber, I expect my mates to know what they are doing. It's not an unreasonable expectation.
I have rarely come across a free loader. When I enter a battle I do quick May and say ok there are five of us and 22 foes which means that everyone should at a minimum tmdefeat 4 formed which means two of us will have to take on a total of 5. Since I am a magizoo I hit up the acromantulas and irk Kong’s first and will get the left overs. But I find in the higher levels people are using their respective talents and all accomplishing everything pretty quickly and using their special powers especially to protect me as the magizoo and I bring people back etc. so I don’t really have any complaints.
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