How to Properly Eliminate Server Hopping, Ghosting, and Combat Logging.

[EastwoodHD 28]

 All the posts I've seen about how to "fix" these issues involve killing a player, moving a player, or some how breaking immersion. Everyone knows the combat logging fix, add a log-out timer, and if you Alt-F4, your character stays in game for lets say, 30 seconds.

 

 In order to stop server hopping and ghosting, you're going to need another system. A suggestion that's been plaguing the forums about spawning 200m away from your last location or so, while effective, yes, it can cause numerous problems. With the way the map is designed, you could easily be glitched into a static object, killing your character, or locking your character until he/she starves to death or dies of dehydration. That's pretty game breaking, I'd get pretty annoyed after spending all day getting geared to have died over something stupid like that.

 

 A smarter fix to the problem would be to reduce the spawn % of desirable gear and add queue times to a server. For example, I've been playing on this server all day, my friend just buys the game and joined a server. Well I want to play with him, so I leave my server to join his. But I have to wait 5 minutes before joining. And this timer will double every time I try to join a new server. This queue timer will last 5 hours or so and then reset back to 5 minutes. The timer will not apply to the last server you joined. For example, I log out of my server, if I want to join a new one I have to wait the 5 minutes, but I don't have to wait to join the server I was just on. It's the same system that Riot Games uses on League of Legends before you start a game.

 

 While technically people could still server hop, it would be very difficult and time consuming to do so. Thus servers wouldn't be hit so incredibly hard  as they are now. It's already pretty likely Dean will implement a system similar to the one I've described, but it shouldn't be implemented until loot can respawn. Once loot can respawn the amount of server hoppers will drop back down to the low % of dayz players; add this system on top of that, that % will be virtually nonexistent.

 

 With this system you will not lose your character or current progress, you'll just have to wait before joining a new server. Server hoppers lack patience (hence why they are server hopping) this system will crush them, but hardly affect players who are just playing the game.

 

NOTE: I've probably left out some details, any constructive criticism is welcome. 

Edited January 7, 2014 by EastwoodHD

[Ymath 30]

I'm all for ways to combat server hoppers and combat logging, and the 5 minute cool down seems like a good start.

I don't think it should be any more than 5 minutes however, maybe even just 2-4.

Sometimes when first starting my play session me and a friend have to hop a few servers just to find one that's right for both of us, while this is a rare thing we do I don't think we should be punished as much as waiting a few more hours to play.

As for being killed when combat logging, I'm all for it. Its EXTREMELY game breaking and immersion killing for the player(s) being combat logged on. 

[Korsbaek 1778]

This is actually a good idea. It probably won't stop combat logging and server hopping completely, but it definitely will stop a lot of people from doing it.

[EastwoodHD 28]

I'm all for ways to combat server hoppers and combat logging, and the 5 minute cool down seems like a good start.

I don't think it should be any more than 5 minutes however, maybe even just 2-4.

Sometimes when first starting my play session me and a friend have to hop a few servers just to find one that's right for both of us, while this is a rare thing we do I don't think we should be punished as much as waiting a few more hours to play.

As for being killed when combat logging, I'm all for it. Its EXTREMELY game breaking and immersion killing for the player(s) being combat logged on. 

 

 

I can see how that could be problematic, maybe adjust it to 2 or 3 minutes and have it double from there. I know how server hopping works, with a lower spawn percentage one would have to go through quite a few low population servers to get geared. Maybe also have the timer reset if you've been playing on a server for at least an hour. That way if a server dies down on population it's not as hard to find a new one without being penalized.

[Publik 404]

Doesn't really affect ghosting the same server, though the 30sec timer could be a hassle. What if my buddies and I are in a stalemate with some assailant. We've got each other pinned down pretty well and it's sort of quieted down. If I've got 30 seconds, I could just have my buddies cover my body while I jump.

[EastwoodHD 28]

Doesn't really affect ghosting the same server, though the 30sec timer could be a hassle. What if my buddies and I are in a stalemate with some assailant. We've got each other pinned down pretty well and it's sort of quieted down. If I've got 30 seconds, I could just have my buddies cover my body while I jump.

 

With this system, even if your buddies cover your body, you cant ghost, you'd log back into the same exact spot. If you are trying to log onto a new server, you'd have to wait 5 minutes to log onto it, find a new position, log out and then have to wait 10 minutes to log back onto the original server, it's likely the assailant has either moved position or died from one of your other buddies. With how gunfights are in this game, they don't last very long, in a rare instance like that, you'd probably get away with being able to combat log but ghosting would be much more difficult.. You can't please everyone, but you can please the majority. While this system has it's flaws, at the end of the day, it's still really effective. I'd prefer it if no players could abuse, but I'm okay with 1 out of 500 players doing it.

[doublebrain 255]

I like the idea where you spawn near your logout position but somewhere outside of all towns and points of interest more than this one. It is a much better protection against server hopping and ghosting and I think problems like spawning in trees or whatever can se solved.

[warrenpeace 38]

My idea was just to have one character per server, but you bring up a good point with the 'friend buys game' idea. I like it.

[EastwoodHD 28]

I like the idea where you spawn near your logout position but somewhere outside of all towns and points of interest more than this one. It is a much better protection against server hopping and ghosting and I think problems like spawning in trees or whatever can se solved.

 

The problem with that is with the scale of the map, there would have to be a pre-rendered spawn point on every possible place on the map. You would have to make a pre-renedered spawn point out of specific areas, like military bases, etc. But another problem arises with that, and that's grievers who want easy kills. You could easily just camp outside those spawn points. It would break immersion and bring problems like grieving.

[Space Milk 195]

I dislike this idea. It should not be too long. 2-5 minutes at the max, but more is just ridiculous.  Some people join a server and may not like it for a variety of reasons: Night, PVP, PVE, High Ping, Spawn Campers, etc.

I had a idea about adding traps to the game. I think that would cut down server hopping in high valued areas, by spawning in a bear trap or a mine.

[Space Milk 195]

The problem with that is with the scale of the map, there would have to be a pre-rendered spawn point on every possible place on the map. You would have to make a pre-renedered spawn point out of specific areas, like military bases, etc. But another problem arises with that, and that's grievers who want easy kills. You could easily just camp outside those spawn points. It would break immersion and bring problems like grieving.

 

 

So? People spawn camp the new east spawn point all the time, and they spawn camp the airfield as well. This idea is no different.

[Tactical Soldier Gaming 20]

 All the posts I've seen about how to "fix" these issues involve killing a player, moving a player, or some how breaking immersion. Everyone knows the combat logging fix, add a log-out timer, and if you Alt-F4, your character stays in game for lets say, 30 seconds.

 

 In order to stop server hopping and ghosting, you're going to need another system. A suggestion that's been plaguing the forums about spawning 200m away from your last location or so, while effective, yes, it can cause numerous problems. With the way the map is designed, you could easily be glitched into a static object, killing your character, or locking your character until he/she starves to death or dies of dehydration. That's pretty game breaking, I'd get pretty annoyed after spending all day getting geared to have died over something stupid like that.

 

 A smarter fix to the problem would be to reduce the spawn % of desirable gear and add queue times to a server. For example, I've been playing on this server all day, my friend just buys the game and joined a server. Well I want to play with him, so I leave my server to join his. But I have to wait 5 minutes before joining. And this timer will double every time I try to join a new server. This queue timer will last 5 hours or so and then reset back to 5 minutes. The timer will not apply to the last server you joined. For example, I log out of my server, if I want to join a new one I have to wait the 5 minutes, but I don't have to wait to join the server I was just on. It's the same system that Riot Games uses on League of Legends before you start a game.

 

 While technically people could still server hop, it would be very difficult and time consuming to do so. Thus servers wouldn't be hit so incredibly hard  as they are now. It's already pretty likely Dean will implement a system similar to the one I've described, but it shouldn't be implemented until loot can respawn. Once loot can respawn the amount of server hoppers will drop back down to the low % of dayz players; add this system on top of that, that % will be virtually nonexistent.

 

 With this system you will not lose your character or current progress, you'll just have to wait before joining a new server. Server hoppers lack patience (hence why they are server hopping) this system will crush them, but hardly affect players who are just playing the game.

 

NOTE: I've probably left out some details, any constructive criticism is welcome. 

 

 

 

I see a problem though!  What if the server crashes?  What if you get a "Message not received for so and so seconds" then you have to exit and are unable to play for five minutes because the server you were just on crashed and you can't join another?  

 

New Idea:  

-Change it so that you must press escape, then wait 30 seconds before you can exit the game. 

-Alt-F4 = death, the immersion is already broken so breaking the immersion by killing them doesn't really validate with me.  

-Upon joining a server, you must wait 60 seconds before looting items. 

-Joining more than 3 servers in let's say, a fifteen minute period, than you would have a "Cooldown" on joining servers for twenty minutes.  This doesn't increase and seems a bit harsh, but if you have three servers go down on you in 15 minutes then maybe you shouldn't have walked under the ladder.

[IcyBlade 48]

Doesn't anyone pay attention to the developers, they already have solutions to these problems and are in the process of implementation / testing.

[dubghall 36]

Why is everyone seemingly cool with a 30 second logout... that seems incredibly fast to me.  Id much rather require a 2-4 min logout... Or the Death Cool down... You just died mother fucker - dont like waiting to logout/respawn - then DONT DIE.

Lets agree this is not counterstrike... and yet on occasion you'll have to wait a considerable time dead in order for the CS match to restart.  In DayZ the logout timers and the server hop CDs should be aggressively long...

Fucking DayZ'rs bubble hearthing?  gotta be kidding me.

[TEST_SUBJECT_83 465]

Sorry for the noob question, but can someone explain what combat logging, and ghosting is?

I'm pretty sure I get what server hoping is, just not the other 2.

Thanks.

 

PS: Not so I can do them, I cant stand cheaters in such an amazing game, I just want to know to know...you know?

Edited January 9, 2014 by TEST_SUBJECT_83

[AP_Norris 1018]

Sorry for the noob question, but can someone explain what combat logging, and ghosting is?

I'm pretty sure I get what server hoping is, just not the other 2.

Thanks.

 

PS: Not so I can do them, I cant stand cheaters in such an amazing game, I just want to know to know...you know?

Combat logging is logging out in combat/ sometimes in neutral encounters.

Ghosting is logging out and back in, on the same server to teleport around while trying to shoot someone.

[DayzForumer 284]

Sorry, but I don't want to wait up to 50 minutes just because the server is empty of loot. I'd rather play the mod in that case.

[DMentMan 707]

seems like a really good idea.

[Chiapet 3]

Stopping server hoping is a good issue, but Im not sure timers are needed.

 

First, i think all equipment should spawn randomly everywhere. While i appreciate it makes sense that military gear would only be in military areas or the like, lets face it, here in america you can wander into a house and find AR15s, ammo, vests and gear in a residential home. so no biggy there.

 

this first would stop camping at certain areas. this would also promote exploration instead of the *Spawn in/run to particular airfield/military barrack, run to despawn point, find new server, rinse and repeat till geared*

 

that pretty much stops that issue.

 

Second is combat logging. this is actually a few issues.

First is bailing from a fight. a 30second camping animation would fix this. yes you can go directly to desktop, but your character styays for 30 secs, making a bit of noise( say yawning) a little movement( say sitting down) and will solve THAT issue.

 

next is logging out of server, moving to new server, changing positions( because in first server you were stuck with enemies outside the building you were in)then logging back into the first server behind enemies. stopping a relog into a server you were just in to 5 mins would give people a chance to leave.

 

I think that covers most issues.

[Khal (DayZ) 2]

The problem with ghosting could be solved by making tha majors cities, militarycamps, airfield a non spawning area. If you log out by any reason while in an "hot" area you simple respawn outside. 
This could make ex nw Airfield a playce that you and your group could acually defend. As it is now ypu cant be sure a building is clear evens if you have sweept it. No realism.

Sry for the crappy english- :/

[Monkfish (DayZ) 339]

In another thread about another topic, I suggested implementation of a tiredness/sleep mechanic that would require the player to be sleeping before being able to log out. Putting the player to sleep could be an animation that takes 30 seconds or so to play out (i.e. take off backpack, prepare floor area for sleeping/set up tent/put down roll mat, lie down, screen fades to black). This would heavily reduce combat logging (doing that in a firefight would likely result in one catching a bullet) without having to add arbitrary time limits on how often or how soon someone could log into a server.

Edited January 10, 2014 by Monkfish

[SunTechNick 3]

According all described disadvantages and topicstarter, mr Eastwood, I think the only way to solve this problem is make each server it's own database. Also it should be the logout timer. Unique databases related with server will stimulate create unique communities on each server. Also It will make sense to be oldfag on the server. If you will play long enough on the same server you will know some things which newbees don't know yet.

[Khal (DayZ) 2]

Ghosting could easily be solved with a delay of a sort when logging out of the server. Say 15sec.
What i want to see is also areas where you simply cant log in into. Perhaps make areas where u cant log out when u are inside the area´s borders? This would prevent ghosting and combat logging, at least in those areas.

 

If you play with friends and decide to hold a military base and u sweep it clean from Z n players, u can still be taken bu surprise by someone that log in into that area. Just aint realistic. (in a wolrd of Z:s :\ ) And because of this we rarely get to see people/clans/groups fortifying areas. 

Edited January 10, 2014 by Khal

[dubghall 36]

Still would like to know why people dont support dramatic logout timers... And death cooldowns as penalties. Only reason not to like these limitations is if you are a serverhopper. changing servers even if you dont do it often generates alot of trouble in this game from gear probabilities to server population maintanance to sever efficiency, to community... If we have good reasons not to casually logout, not to combat log, not to server hop we will care alot more about our srevers an who plays on them.

It is not a survival game or combat sim... Or zombie game if its all about exploiting server hops and repawns so you can grief coaties with your friends all day...