Guild Wars 2

I searched through the website and could find no other way to communicate with Anet other than a support ticket. So I submitted this:

I would like to know what Anet is planning to do to improve the quality of matches and decrease match manipulation we are seeing in S5 PVP (Please do not refer me to the dishonor system, because clearly that is not working). Besides the forums, from which devs (pvp forum) have seemingly vanished once the shiny newness of the season wore off, I could find no other way to contact and provide feedback other than a support ticket.

As a paying customer and client of Arena Net, I believe it is a reasonable expectation that all efforts would be made to eradicate all forms of match manipulation, which by their very nature reduce the quality and enjoyment of play of others; therefore devaluing the product I have in good faith purchased.

I am not here to whinge and moan about my MMR, division placement or any other such thing. All I want (and believe I and every other pvp player deserve) is five people on each team who actually play the match. Far too many matches are being affected by players who afk shortly after the match starts, or even better, give up at the first sign of “trouble”. Occasionally these afk’ers are decent enough to actually dc, resulting in no loss of rating. However, on more than one occasion, despite a player dc’ing the match loss has also resulted in a rating point loss.

There is also the issue of matches starting without all players being loaded into the match. If either team does not have five connected players the match simply shouldn’t start. I think you will find most players would much rather return to the queue than waste 10mins in a lopsided game, especially the team that is left a man short.

Take a passing glance at the forums, you can easily see that much of the pvp community is extremely frustrated. Spend a little time in the pvp lobby and you will observe the same anger and frustration. A fair and level playing field should not be reserved for those few in the minority of Legendary Division or Pro League. The entire pvp community, at every level, deserves better.

The forums are an essential resource for feedback. It does not take a Rhodes Scholar to determine what is fact and fiction. Why so much of the feedback and suggestions is seemingly ignored is a mystery to me.

In closing, I would like to say thank you in advance for taking the time to address my feedback. I look forward to a human being’s response soon.

If I get a response I will post it here.

Nice try. Also tried to communicate here and wrote Evan a PM… No response yet

Glael.7643:

Nice try. Also tried to communicate here and wrote Evan a PM… No response yet

Yeah, I think anyone who really cares has tried something. Every time I post on the forums I tell myself it is the last time, because nothing ever seems to happens. But hope springs eternal as they say.

I must be lucky, I’ve had 2 matches where I’ve had someone out and out say they where throwing the match, both times because they felt the rest of the team where not good enough to be where they are. I agree its not nice when someone spoils the match like that. But that’s life.

BrotherBelial.3094:

I must be lucky, I’ve had 2 matches where I’ve had someone out and out say they where throwing the match, both times because they felt the rest of the team where not good enough to be where they are. I agree its not nice when someone spoils the match like that. But that’s life.

I agree “that’s life” up to a point. If Anet want us to swallow the competitive pvp line, then they really should be doing more to make sure it actually is competitive. Players going afk is something that should not be acceptable to Anet, nor to any genuinely pvp player.

Having said that, I’ve had more than my fair share of matches that all I wanted to do was sit at spawn and cry.

MissCee.1295:

BrotherBelial.3094:

I must be lucky, I’ve had 2 matches where I’ve had someone out and out say they where throwing the match, both times because they felt the rest of the team where not good enough to be where they are. I agree its not nice when someone spoils the match like that. But that’s life.

I agree “that’s life” up to a point. If Anet want us to swallow the competitive pvp line, then they really should be doing more to make sure it actually is competitive. Players going afk is something that should not be acceptable to Anet, nor to any genuinely pvp player.

Having said that, I’ve had more than my fair share of matches that all I wanted to do was sit at spawn and cry.

The solution to the problem is a simple one really, make ranked only available to people who are in premade 5 man teams. That way people who rage quit will end up with out a team, sure they’ll end up annoying alot of people, bit they will end up being know to people who play PvP and end up never being on a good team. Or only play in organise ladders.

I have started to screenshot each time I lose a match because of afk and will be submitting reports direct to Anet Support by email.

Why not stop the match INSTANTLY when someone dc/afk (after 1m in game) ?

- Edit : Or: When someone dc after 5m in game, kick him and take someone else from the queue

- Or : /gg , /resign

Alek Seven.2374:

Why not stop the match INSTANTLY when someone dc/afk (after 1m in game) ?

Seems like a perfectly good solution to me, yet Anet appear unwilling to do anything about these things.

UPDATE: 31st Dec 2016

I received a response, here it is:

Anet: When it comes to afk cases we investigate them as they are reported so we can actively take action against them. If you have any suggestions we suggest you post them to the forums so that the developers can get a first look at them. As support we cannot implement suggestions from players in game. If have any more questions feel free to contact us again.

While I was happy to receive a response, I wasn’t much impressed by the content. My reply:

Thank you for the response. The issue at hand is, myself and many other are posting suggestions to the forums but there is no response. Additionally, it would appear the “active action” taken against reported players is having little to no impact, if so there would not be so many thread/posts regarding the topic. The following is a small sample I put together. Unfortunately the forum search function is very basic, I had to trawl through all the threads to find:

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/pvp/Partial-Fix-For-Ranked-PvP-Disincentivize-It/first#post6449954

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/pvp/Things-you-saw-in-lower-divisions/6448574

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/pvp/Tend-ncies-Duos-Carry-Placement/6448645

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/pvp/Awaiting-a-Response/first#post6449982

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/pvp/Reasons-players-are-unhappy-with-PvP/6445514

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/pvp/Match-Manipulation

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/pvp/Offering-gold-for-afking

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/pvp/LOL-same-player-still-paying-people-to-DC/first#post6448350

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/pvp/Thoughts-from-the-Bottom/6440825

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/pvp/Bronze-grind-to-leg/6447441

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/pvp/Some-people-shouldn-t-be-allowed-in-ranked/first#post6447551

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/pvp/Anet-Awareness/6443010

As you are no doubt aware, more people lurk on the forums than actively contribute. I can’t help but wonder how many people read the forums, relate to comments being made but simply don’t bother saying anything because Devs appear not to care.

I understand the forums are an extemely volatile place. Anet gets a lot of hate. You can’t please all of the people of all the time.

My question to you is, based on your reply: What is this “active action” being taken? The pvp community would desperately like to know.

Stay tuned, I will post any further communication I receive.

Here’s the latest from Anet:

We are unable to disclose our procedures to players due to it being apart of our internal operations. As previously stated we are working to prosecute afk players as they get reported but it is all case by case. Sorry I could not tell you more.

I’ve kept pushing, my reply:

I don’t mean to be flogging a dead horse, but that kind of closed-lip non-response is not really good enough. No one who plays pvp cares about “internal operations”, what they want to see is a strict code of conduct openly being enforced. I am increasingly playing matches where map chat is announcing who is afk, who is a repeat dc. GW2 is an MMO focused on PVE, I totally get that. But if you don’t wanna do PVP well why do it at all?

Pretty obvious this is going nowhere fast.

MissCee.1295:

Here’s the latest from Anet:

We are unable to disclose our procedures to players due to it being apart of our internal operations. As previously stated we are working to prosecute afk players as they get reported but it is all case by case. Sorry I could not tell you more.

I’ve kept pushing, my reply:

I don’t mean to be flogging a dead horse, but that kind of closed-lip non-response is not really good enough. No one who plays pvp cares about “internal operations”, what they want to see is a strict code of conduct openly being enforced. I am increasingly playing matches where map chat is announcing who is afk, who is a repeat dc. GW2 is an MMO focused on PVE, I totally get that. But if you don’t wanna do PVP well why do it at all?

Pretty obvious this is going nowhere fast.

At the point they’ve said that they’re not going to say anything, they’re not going to say anything. Not really worth arguing with support about it since they’re not in a position to implement changes anyways.

I’m not surprised of the responses you got … that approach isn’t unique to Anet either. Game Dev companies simply don’t disclose plans for how they are developing the game to random players. That’s status quo and I don’t expect that more prodding will give you an answer you are looking for to satisfy your curiosity.

Probably doesn’t help that you basically tell them they suck at doing PVP either .. not sure what you were trying to accomplish with that.

Huskyboy.1053:

MissCee.1295:

Here’s the latest from Anet:

We are unable to disclose our procedures to players due to it being apart of our internal operations. As previously stated we are working to prosecute afk players as they get reported but it is all case by case. Sorry I could not tell you more.

I’ve kept pushing, my reply:

I don’t mean to be flogging a dead horse, but that kind of closed-lip non-response is not really good enough. No one who plays pvp cares about “internal operations”, what they want to see is a strict code of conduct openly being enforced. I am increasingly playing matches where map chat is announcing who is afk, who is a repeat dc. GW2 is an MMO focused on PVE, I totally get that. But if you don’t wanna do PVP well why do it at all?

Pretty obvious this is going nowhere fast.

At the point they’ve said that they’re not going to say anything, they’re not going to say anything. Not really worth arguing with support about it since they’re not in a position to implement changes anyways.

I’m fast discovering it’s hardly worth speaking to Anet at all. I decided to push this issue a little further when a player I’d reported for Match Manipulation (Anet acknowledged manipulation and said player was dealt with) turned up in a pvp today.

They want us to think the forums are for feedback, but they are only to make us feel like we are being heard. Not that we actually are.

I’ve only been playing around 12mths. I can see now why so many pvp’ers have already walked away.