Insomniac
Title Recipient
Right, this is a big problem, that will kill this game online.
I think the purpose of this thread should be to propose recommendations to fix the problem as a community - IE, we all agree on the same recommendations that Codemasters should implement in a patch (in a patch that also makes Umar Akmal a right hander, please).
However, by that same token we must take into account the concerns of Codemasters as well, and what they would like to see, and come up with a compromise.
My recommendations on a personal level are this:
? Remove the boundary disconnection problem (Step 1)
? For the quitters, some function must be input in order to maintain the integrity of the leaderboards and the game in itself. However, we must also account for the connection issues as well, which are, as much as we would like to deny it, a genuine concern.
My proposal is this: A game which has gone into the second innings (as in, one ball of the second innings has been bowled) constitutes a game. I believe (and hopefully we can get testimonies on PC to support this) that most genuine connection problems occur in the first innings, usually in the first few overs of the innings.
If such a connection / electricity (subcontinent) problem occurs in the second innings, then well, that's bad luck. In the event of a disconnection, the person disconnected is awarded a loss, while the other is awarded a win.
If both players disconnect (example - boundary bug) then either both players are awarded a win, or both are awarded a loss. However, if the boundary bug is corrected, then this should not be an issue.
? The sportsmanship rating needs to go. It means zilch because I've been disconnected from many games due to the boundary bug, and I haven't lost any sportsmanship rating. How do I know that the people on the other end aren't just pulling the plug to maintain a sportsmanship rating?
Instead, what I think should replace it, is a games completed percent. This will allow users to best judge who they want to play. Obviously somebody who does not have a 100% shouldn't be shunned because he may have had genuine problems, but a 45% completion rate is a bit worrying.
? The option to boot players from a game should be enabled, as it was on the PC version of AC09 (possibly on the 360 and PS3 as well, I'm not sure). If a player with a poor sportsmanship rating comes into my room, I'm not going to play him. It's just that simple - why should I bat for 10 overs only for him to quit in the 3rd over of his innings, and not get ANY credit for it at all. Although at this point I can live with just quitting the game and making a new one, so this isn't exactly a major issue.
Anyway, these are my proposals. Hopefully we as a community can together find a solution to this problem, as I believe we are a large lobby in Cricket gaming. If anyone has any additions, amendments, or recommendations, please say so, and if it has enough approval (and doesn't conflict with anything already written), then I'll add it.
If something does conflict, then we will have to appropriately debate it and come to a final conclusion to what is best for the game.
Of course, this could all be to absoltue no avail at all, if Codemasters decides to not do anything about it. But we do have to try and find out, as I think it will be easier for them to make a decision if we have the support of the entire community, and not everybody giving their own individual views which may conflict with each other.
I think the purpose of this thread should be to propose recommendations to fix the problem as a community - IE, we all agree on the same recommendations that Codemasters should implement in a patch (in a patch that also makes Umar Akmal a right hander, please).
However, by that same token we must take into account the concerns of Codemasters as well, and what they would like to see, and come up with a compromise.
My recommendations on a personal level are this:
? Remove the boundary disconnection problem (Step 1)
? For the quitters, some function must be input in order to maintain the integrity of the leaderboards and the game in itself. However, we must also account for the connection issues as well, which are, as much as we would like to deny it, a genuine concern.
My proposal is this: A game which has gone into the second innings (as in, one ball of the second innings has been bowled) constitutes a game. I believe (and hopefully we can get testimonies on PC to support this) that most genuine connection problems occur in the first innings, usually in the first few overs of the innings.
If such a connection / electricity (subcontinent) problem occurs in the second innings, then well, that's bad luck. In the event of a disconnection, the person disconnected is awarded a loss, while the other is awarded a win.
If both players disconnect (example - boundary bug) then either both players are awarded a win, or both are awarded a loss. However, if the boundary bug is corrected, then this should not be an issue.
? The sportsmanship rating needs to go. It means zilch because I've been disconnected from many games due to the boundary bug, and I haven't lost any sportsmanship rating. How do I know that the people on the other end aren't just pulling the plug to maintain a sportsmanship rating?
Instead, what I think should replace it, is a games completed percent. This will allow users to best judge who they want to play. Obviously somebody who does not have a 100% shouldn't be shunned because he may have had genuine problems, but a 45% completion rate is a bit worrying.
? The option to boot players from a game should be enabled, as it was on the PC version of AC09 (possibly on the 360 and PS3 as well, I'm not sure). If a player with a poor sportsmanship rating comes into my room, I'm not going to play him. It's just that simple - why should I bat for 10 overs only for him to quit in the 3rd over of his innings, and not get ANY credit for it at all. Although at this point I can live with just quitting the game and making a new one, so this isn't exactly a major issue.
Anyway, these are my proposals. Hopefully we as a community can together find a solution to this problem, as I believe we are a large lobby in Cricket gaming. If anyone has any additions, amendments, or recommendations, please say so, and if it has enough approval (and doesn't conflict with anything already written), then I'll add it.
If something does conflict, then we will have to appropriately debate it and come to a final conclusion to what is best for the game.
Of course, this could all be to absoltue no avail at all, if Codemasters decides to not do anything about it. But we do have to try and find out, as I think it will be easier for them to make a decision if we have the support of the entire community, and not everybody giving their own individual views which may conflict with each other.
