[AC] cadmins: I'd like to make a public post about regulars following new players.

[jchance]

This is really only a problem on C due to TP being enabled.  There has been a dramatic rise in regular players following new players (ones who join with a "-") on C.   I have personally witnessed new players to join, get the normal barrage of "hello!" and then have up to 5 regulars immediately TP to them and follow them around, which I assume is a misguided attempt to help catch grief and get noticed for being a "good helpful member of the community."

 

However, all this is really doing is scaring off new players, who arrive and are immediately harassed by 1-5 people shadowing them everywhere.  They can't even leave spawn without having someone follow them around.   If that were me I'd be creeped out and quit too.  We need to stop scaring people off.

 

The fact is, mods are much better equipped to stalk new players if they feel they need to with /vanish.  We can see if they check the plugin list, we can see NCP, and we can assess their "threat level" and if they warrant a look where players can't.

 

I had previously spoke to Dumbo about it in Mumble when I was a mod, and I've tried to speak to a few people via /msg who do it continuously, but its an ongoing problem.   I don't think a short public service post in general server discussion is a bad idea.   

 

Some alternate suggestions that were made in Mumble when we talked about it:

 

1.   Setting /tpmode ask for all new players.   The drawback here is that new players might not be able to figure out the command.   We could also add a join message to the effect of  "Your TP is in ASK mode.  Do /tpmode allow to allow all players to TP to you"

 

2.   Not displaying the "-" for new players to the general server population.   I don't know if this is a good idea or not since a lot of people like to welcome new players (and that's fine, just not the tp stalking).

 

 

I'm just sitting here trying to think of ways to retain more players and this one keeps running around in my head- its hard enough to get new players and I don't want their first experience on our server to be crazy stalker people following them around, making them quit.

 

What do you guys think?

 

 

[Cyotie911]

My first thought to this is to set their tp mode to ask. Maybe have a /tphelp command set up that will give a user instructions in game about the tp commands, and then put a revolving message in chat, from [server] about the /tphelp command.

[redwall_hp]

Setting the tp mode does seem like the best solution to this. Simple, effective, and you can still spot a new player easily.

[jchance]

I really like the tpmode change, and I think its an improvement, but it doesn't really affect a change in behavior.   C still has the /spawn command that effectively does the same thing as /tp playername when someone joins for the first time, which is why I think a nice post informing them that "they might be creeping people out and please don't do that" might be in order.

[marting11]

I've rarely witnessed players following newbies, but thinking about it, there is no reason for /tpmode to be set to allow by default. I'd like the default to be set to ask aswell. Hopefully we can get a consensus on this and change it ASAP.

Did your warn the players in-game? It might catch their attention better this way. It's probably always the same players who do that anyway?

[Mrloud15]

Closing and moving to the archives.