Ideas to overcome online quitters

[BigAntStudios]

Not that I'll be playing much online, but couldn't you restrict it to a few match-types that would be guaranteed to be completed? Maybe a maximum 20 over type online competition. That way you'll get a higher turn over of players finishing a match... rather than 50+ over games that get quit when you're so far behind? How much demand is there really to play a 5 day test online? Not being facetious, just curious...

You've actually hit upon the biggest issue, time.

It takes too long to play even a short match and have enough of an incentive for people to stick with it when it might be against the odds to win, ie if you bowl a team out in a few overs then what incentive can be offered to get them to stay around for you to bat.

I should add we have methods in place, fingers crossed they work.

 

[barmyarmy]

With saving it's not a massive issue. If you can pick up a test and play a session in an hour that's ok.

 

[BigAntStudios]

With saving it's not a massive issue. If you can pick up a test and play a session in an hour that's ok.

I think you're right for most people here on PC, the wider community I am not so sure on...

 

[isrararrafi]

Do not think anyone is stupid enough to play a test match online with people he doesn't know. Personally I would play the longer games with people I know or are from here. Of course I will not be finishing the match at one go and that is where save comes in.

 

[Biggs]

I think you're right for most people here on PC, the wider community I am not so sure on...

Yeah, I mean... I'm sure I'm not alone on being completely disinterested in playing a test online with someone. Maybe a 5 or 10 over match a couple of times perhaps, but I can't see hundreds of folks in the greater community being all that interested in a 5 day rain affected test that ends in a draw... 20/20 or 10 over format cricket would seem the most logical formats that transition well across to online gaming and would guarantee more activity and results. Better use of resources, imo.

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EDIT:

The other option for online competition would be a "scenarios" format - whereby you were given a target to hit/win a match. One player had to defend and/or bowl you out and the other player had to try to score the runs. That would work in any format - you could get some great scenarios in test, ODI and T20 cricket out of that. You start the online game at 7 wickets down and have to score at x runs a ball to win and/or bowl out the opposition to win the 'scenario'...

...and as for quitting, just don't start a game unless you don't intend to finish it if you're going to lose. That's poor form.

 

[Dutch]

Yeah, I mean... I'm sure I'm not alone on being completely disinterested in playing a test online with someone. Maybe a 5 or 10 over match a couple of times perhaps, but I can't see hundreds of folks in the greater community being all that interested in a 5 day rain affected test that ends in a draw...

Ha ha! You dont live in England mate!

On another note I would love international teams in real cricket adopt the same technique as some online quitters....would be great to see the Australian team just walk off because they were too far behind and leave a note in the dressing room; my mum said I had to do my homework for Mr. Arthur.

 

[cricket_online]

Not that I'll be playing much online, but couldn't you restrict it to a few match-types that would be guaranteed to be completed? Maybe a maximum 20 over type online competition. That way you'll get a higher turn over of players finishing a match... rather than 50+ over games that get quit when you're so far behind? How much demand is there really to play a 5 day test online? Not being facetious, just curious...

You've actually hit upon the biggest issue, time.

It takes too long to play even a short match and have enough of an incentive for people to stick with it when it might be against the odds to win, ie if you bowl a team out in a few overs then what incentive can be offered to get them to stay around for you to bat.

I should add we have methods in place, fingers crossed they work.

You get quitters for a 5 over or a 10 over odis as well. I have never played anything longer than a T20 online and mostly opted for 10 over odis and nearly 70-80% of my games were quits on AC09. Quitters don't quit coz of the length of the game but coz they are losing and would rather quit than take a loss. You can have a One over "Super Over" mode and you will still get quitters unless they are penalized.

I am sorry but after playing bunch of games online on AC09, Chunnster is correct. Unless they are penalized they will keep on doing it and will game the system to do so. At the very least the player who's connected should get an option whether he wants to save and continue later or take a win. Once quitters see they won't get away with quits they will go away.

 

[Biggs]

I think there's a bit of a disconnect happening for me regarding how seriously some people take this stuff, so I can really only see it from a "it's frustrating" perspective rather than 'omg, i'm top rated' or whatever... which seems a bit ludicrous to me that people care about that stuff buuuuuut, I do take your point that people shouldn't just be able to quit or whatever. Loss is a loss, if you're internet connection drops out or whatever, I guess just chalk that up to bad luck and take the loss.

EDIT:

Alternatively - just call it a "no result" and that way, you should be able to see people that are quitting or have bad internet connections have a lot of "no results" in their profile. Surely that would solve the problem?

 

[Gone4aDuck]

Loss is a loss, if you're internet connection drops out or whatever, I guess just chalk that up to bad luck and take the loss.

Would it be possible to punish you if you quit to main menu? And not punish you if simply loose connection? I don't know how it works!

In actual fact, whilst I type this I can imagine people just turning their modem off in order to quit. Forget what I said!

 

[cricket_online]

I think there's a bit of a disconnect happening for me regarding how seriously some people take this stuff, so I can really only see it from a "it's frustrating" perspective rather than 'omg, i'm top rated' or whatever... which seems a bit ludicrous to me that people care about that stuff buuuuuut, I do take your point that people shouldn't just be able to quit or whatever. Loss is a loss, if you're internet connection drops out or whatever, I guess just chalk that up to bad luck and take the loss.

EDIT:

Alternatively - just call it a "no result" and that way, you should be able to see people that are quitting or have bad internet connections have a lot of "no results" in their profile. Surely that would solve the problem?

I thought so too when I started playing online, but was taken aback things people do to get wins. Do you know people use techniques like IP Booting or start up download streams so as to induce a lag when they aren't doing well just so that they don't get a L in their online record? I was dumbfoundd too but after playing online for some length of tim found out most people don't really play online for fun but just to get a W. They wouldn't mind not playing the game at all if they could somehow get a win.

The situation became so intolerable after sometime that I had to play a select few folks from PC just to complete a game. Having seen what most folks do online (Madden, FIFA, Cricket etc.), the best option is to mark a quit as a loss else folks will simply find another way to game the system.

 

[Biggs]

Agree with you totally, if I'm going to play online it's really just for fun and I think taking win/loss/whatever stuff seriously kinda defeats the purpose, as does "quitting" a game if you're losing. I mean, a person wouldn't walk out on his mates if they were losing at UNO or something would they? Someone who did that would prolly suck at life...

Would it be possible to punish you if you quit to main menu? And not punish you if simply loose connection? I don't know how it works!

From what Ross has said, it's next to impossible to be able to tell the reasons for a "drop-out" and determine whether it was connection-issues or quitting. Hence (I imagine) the easiest thing to do in that scenario would be just to automatically log the match as "no result". That's a penalty because it becomes a marker for other gamers to know whether or not you're completing games or not - regardless of whether it's you fault you quit or not.

Again, that should cut down on the frustration-angle which is really all I can see this sort of thing as...

 

[cricket_online]

From what Ross has said, it's next to impossible to be able to tell the reasons for a "drop-out" and determine whether it was connection-issues or quitting. Hence (I imagine) the easiest thing to do in that scenario would be just to automatically log the match as "no result". That's a penalty because it becomes a marker for other gamers to know whether or not you're completing games or not - regardless of whether it's you fault you quit or not.

Again, that should cut down on the frustration-angle which is really all I can see this sort of thing as...

This mechanism would penalize the guy who didn't disconnect. If we hadthe same mechanism in AC09 my "No Result" record would been high without quitting even a single game. Madden handles the quit really well and allows you to concede the game if you don't want to continue playing or in case you are losing, and if you quit you get a loss against your record and your "Not Completed" %ge goes higher which other users can see when they set up a game against you.

 

[BigAntStudios]

This mechanism would penalize the guy who didn't disconnect. If we hadthe same mechanism in AC09 my "No Result" record would been high without quitting even a single game. Madden handles the quit really well and allows you to concede the game if you don't want to continue playing or in case you are losing, and if you quit you get a loss against your record and your "Not Completed" %ge goes higher which other users can see when they set up a game against you.

In Cricket, who is losing?

 

[cricket_online]

In Cricket, who is losing?

Whoever quits is. Somehow Madden is able to nail the chap who quit. There have been times when my opponent is leading by say a score of 30-28, I have the ball and am driving down the field in the last couple of mins and my opponent quits. Madden awards me the win in this scenario and mostly they are spot on. I don't know how they do it but that's the best implementation I have seen to handle the quitters.

 

[BigAntStudios]

Whoever quits is. Somehow Madden is able to nail the chap who quit. There have been times when my opponent is leading by say a score of 30-28, I have the ball and am driving down the field in the last couple of mins and my opponent quits. Madden awards me the win in this scenario and mostly they are spot on. I don't know how they do it but that's the best implementation I have seen to handle the quitters.

Cricket is a lot harder than football to work out who is in front, especially if there has been only one innings.