What's with the Early Pull Brigade?

[Thayos]

Might want to stop by Radio Shack, your sarcasm detector appears to be broken.

Nah, I see what you were trying to do. It's just that you were wrong, so I creatively used your sarcasm against you.

... So innocent FC members who were not actually trolling had accusations and "guilt by association" thrown at them by people acting in ignorance but they're not in any way the victims of a witch-hunt?

I still don't think you understand what "witch hunt" means.

I didn't see any evidence in that thread of accusations being thrown at members who weren't trolling. However, the idiots who were doing the trolling should have known they'd make their whole FC look bad by acting so heinously.

This isn't rocket science, nor is it a witch hunt (unless you can prove that current members of that FC are still being accused of trolling)... this is simple public relations.

EDIT: Here's a story which may help you understand exactly what a witch hunt is and isn't. On my server, there's a FC that's notorious for early pulling. Whenever this FC is active in hunts, there's almost always more drama, and they're often right in the middle of it. When people see members of that FC in the hunts, you'll often see things like, "Oh great, (FC name) is out here. Get ready for early pulls." That FC has acted with such disregard for everyone else that many people don't really like them. I just recently found a new FC... and had that FC offered me a spot along with millions of gil and a spot in a coil static, I'd have said no, because I wouldn't want to be associated with them.

However, nobody goes around singling people out from that FC. I couldn't tell you a single name of anyone in it. Nobody makes up crazy stories about them or tries to spread rumors about them hacking and what-not. That, if it happened, would be a witch hunt.

What happens in reality is they act like D-bags, so people don't like them. That's not a witch hunt; that's just conflicting social norms.

Regarding the FC we were discussing, people already didn't like them because of their continual inconsiderate behavior... and THEN a handful of members were caught shouting about trolling people in various zones. So THOSE people, for sure, got strongly criticized... but that's also NOT a witch hunt, because people weren't making blind accusations. They were literally addressing the people who had raised their hands and identified themselves (willingly) as trolls.

As for the rest of the people in the FC, they have to live with their name being stained... but that isn't a witch hunt either... unless, as I said, people are still trying to make them out to be cheaters, but that's not what I got from that thread at all. In fact, remaining members of the FC are in that thread, and other posters are offering them advice and encouragement. So, yeah, not a witch hunt.

Quoting things that I say, and underlining certain words in a random sentence that doesn't apply to what's happening, does not make something a witch hunt, either. In fact, that puts YOU on a witch hunt of sorts, although I'm not exactly sure what you're trying to achieve.

Hopefully this improves your understanding of the term!

[Trell]

I just thought it meant hunting old ladies with huge nose pimples flying on broomsticks who turn early pullers into toads.

[MomomiMomi]

On my server, there's a FC that's notorious for early pulling. Whenever this FC is active in hunts, there's almost always more drama, and they're often right in the middle of it. When people see members of that FC in the hunts, you'll often see things like, "Oh great, (FC name) is out here. Get ready for early pulls." That FC has acted with such disregard for everyone else that many people don't really like them. I just recently found a new FC... and had that FC offered me a spot along with millions of gil and a spot in a coil static, I'd have said no, because I wouldn't want to be associated with them.

What happens in reality is they act like D-bags, so people don't like them. That's not a witch hunt; that's just conflicting social norms.

Perspective is a funny thing. From what you just described, I see people trying to play the game. And a large group of people being, as you said, D-bags, to them.

[Thayos]

I get situations where I find an A-rank, shout, wait easily at least five minutes, and STILL see people cussing in /s about "early pullers" and "not waiting".

This is true... but it's also not fair to assume these people are in hunt linkshells. I'd be willing to bet a lot of people who do stuff like that are newer hunters who aren't used to the frustration of early pulls. Once you've hunted for awhile, you just accept that it happens and move on.

If I don't make it to a hunt, no matter how early anyone pulled, I don't care. I move on. There's no need to get upset. People need to learn to get over it.

See? We're not as far apart as one might think.

[Brine_Gildchaff]

This is true... but it's also not fair to assume these people are in hunt linkshells. I'd be willing to bet a lot of people who do stuff like that are newer hunters who aren't used to the frustration of early pulls. Once you've hunted for awhile, you just accept that it happens and move on.

I get that, but considering how wide-sprawling these LS are, it's a bit naive to assume all of them are NOT part of hunt linkshells. Also, consider the OP's situation, they were threatened with widespread blacklisting. That kind of threat seems likely to come from people with the clout to do that, i.e. people in a position to tell their LS "XXX is an early puller, blacklist them and tell all your other hunt LS to blacklist them too". And... frankly, looking at some of the posts from people in here who ARE in hunt LS, I'm not sure I can vouch for the maturity of them. I note for example that both OP and myself have been called liars and accused of being trolls wanting to disrupt the "peaceful" hunt LS from a person whose manner of talking about hunts makes me think we can safely assume is part of at least one.

[NyarukoW]

Perspective is a funny thing. From what you just described, I see people trying to play the game. And a large group of people being, as you said, D-bags, to them.

The funny thing is your perspective is broken. When the whole world looks tilted to you, may be it is you that needs to correct your your perspective. The .exe FC trolls were obvious plain as day. They were playing the game at trolling everyone else, disrupting everyone else's play and being detrimental to everyone else on the server. I don't understand why there are so many devil's (trolls's) advocate defending troll like behavior. It is probably because they are not accepted in game and couldn't get an audience there so they come here to the forums and complain.

[Brine_Gildchaff]

I don't understand why there are so many devil's (trolls's) advocate defending troll like behavior. It is probably because they are not accepted in game and couldn't get an audience there so they come here to the forums and complain.

I'm not defending the trolls. I'm defending people wrongly accused of being trolls. For example, the members of .exe who were NOT engaging in trolling behavior or "early pulls" (not that there's any such thing unless the actual finder specifies a specific time) yet who were ostracized and stigmatized to the point of being driven from their server. Or people like the OP here or in the "horrible behavior" thread whose pull was by accident yet were subjected to verbal abuse and shameful treatment by the entirety of the zerg. (And don't try and claim that it was only "the fringe", the other poster I'm referring to shouted for someone to please raise him and not ONE SINGLE PERSON even attempted to do so. That's not "the fringe", that's the entire group attacking that mob deciding to "punish" him.)

The OP excuse of the cat is about as valid a the dog ate the homework. The thread is a troll thread to start with.

(Hit daily limit, so I have to edit here instead.)

I invite you once again to put forth the evidence you clearly have, since you are so confident that both OP and I were lying and trolling when we posted our experiences with the Hunt.

And trolls early pulling do NOT deserve a raise.

I'm not talking about a troll early pulling. I'm talking about someone who was instantly aggroed by the mob spawning directly on top of him.

[NyarukoW]

I'm not defending the trolls. I'm defending people wrongly accused of being trolls. ...

The OP excuse of the cat is about as valid a the dog ate the homework. The thread is a troll thread to start with.

Are there people falsely accused, sure that has happened. Are there accidents, sure that has happened to. Granted foul language is reportable and should be reported, but a few choice words is hardly the end of world. How is that the trolls like to say on these forums: "deal with it" or "get over it". The trolls are here trying to have a pity party in their echo chamber. And all sorts of excuses, hypotheticals, etc. along with the FUD about TOS etc. is all just attempts to defend the troll behavior.

The FC .exe chose to flee the server because the allowed their reputation to be ruined. That is their own doing. No one victimized them, they were victimizing everyone else. I know many of people that were in the FC and abandoned it like rats jumping ship. They joined other FC are still on the same server and still doing hunts with the rest of us just fine. They don't want to grouped with a leadership that did not sanction bad behavior. The trolls are the fringe. And troll behavior certainly have consequences. And trolls early pulling do NOT deserve a raise.