Tactful ways to inform people that they're playing badly?

[Liam_Harper]

You just have to give it a try.

If they're a player who tries to do their best and you say "oh btw (name), interested in a few tips for SMN? ", they'll be happy to know and it'll lead to a learning experience for them. If they ignore you or politely decline, not much you can do but at least you asked. If they're playing extremely bad, are very undergeared, get rude, aggressive or tell you to shut up because they know everything and play Ultimate on that class (lie), kick them.

But it's always worth a shot. You have nothing lose (the above inquiry is worded too nicely to be seen as abuse) and potentially help make a better player.

[Thamorian]

Don't lol @ people or brag about yourself.





Avoid using a non sequitur as a rebuttal. No one would want to engage with you if you don't engage with them.

Wrong thread. Buying gil from Mog Station thread is thatta way ----->

On topic, half the time, after the dungeon is done, I'll say "Hey Player, I would highly recommend looking up a guide for your job" and the other half of the time when I have time, I'll ask the player if they would like some baseline information on how their job is played. If the player is rude or straight ignores, I'll initiate a vote kick. You can be a baddie if you want, odds that I see you again are slim, but don't be rude when offered advice.

[Edax]

I know this still comes across as condescending/bitchy.

Wrong thread. Buying gil from Mog Station thread is thatta way

The OP asked for help here, not there.

[SamSmoot]

Only time I noticed someone doing something wrong was in a dungeon where you'd get a damaging beam from the boss, and you had to get near / behind one of the pillars around the edge. (Don't recall dungeon name, only done it once)
I saw one player not dropping the beam with the pillars and dying, so I just announced the mechanic and how to get rid of it without calling out the specific offender. Next time around, he did it correctly and we killed the boss.

If someone isn't using the right abilities, I'd have no idea, since I only play NIN, and even then, I don't know how to tell what abilities another player is using anyway.

[Raldo]

If someone isn't using the right abilities, I'd have no idea, since I only play NIN, and even then, I don't know how to tell what abilities another player is using anyway.

I level everything to cap. I won't consider myself an expert on them all, but I at least know the basics. Some jobs are difficult to analyze, but if a dungeon run feels slow, that's when I start looking at peoples' buff bars, cast bars, enmity list, and occasionally battle animations to see who isn't pulling their weight.

You can tell if someone isn't AOEing at all if they have zero hate on some stuff during a large dungeon pull, for example. SMN has a lot of tells: DoTs dropping for extended periods, no pet, never getting Further Ruin buff. Several jobs have a damage+ buff to upkeep, so you can look for that. AOE pulls w/ BLM, but you never see the giant Flare animation. etc.

Tanking is often boring, so sometimes I analyze what others are doing to occupy my mind.

The OP asked for help here, not there.

I replied to you in that thread, so can you please contain your irrelevant responses over there. The thread has long since moved on, however, so I am not looking for replies anymore.

[Edax]

I know this still comes across as condescending/bitchy.

I replied to you in that thread, so can you please contain your irrelevant responses over there.

You made the first step by admitting you have a problem, but now you're backsliding into denial. If you're being condescending and you acknowledge it, then seeing examples being brought up is not irrelevant. Learn from your mistakes. You asked for tact and you have your advice. Don't lol at other players, brag about yourself or ignore what the person you are talking to has to say. If you can't handle advice, then don't ask for it.

[LeonDalmasca]

I face this problem every day.
I raid only with my static so don't have much to do in general as I don't have friends in game, albeit just back in game from 1 week and half, some might say "level classes" but I already levelled the one I had interest in and made me come back also I want some of the new dragons mount especially Yaoi Prince one, I love innocence BGM. 99% Of the PF, either tank forgets what a tank stance is on adds and wipes some people, either dps is so low that hits enrage at 10% without deaths, either people can't respect their assigned position today episode: Joined this Titania Ex, steadily called SE, the other ranged dps called SW, he kept going at SE, then I started to adjust to his mistakes in advance and I got kicked for "taking his spot", those 7 people were a static or a group of friend needing last dps, we also hit enrage and they gave me the fault (Top Dps as MCH with 1 Monk 1 DRG and 1 BLM). After a week of dealing with this since I came back in game, I've come to understand that the only thing that you can do is: "Okay i'm out gl with your training" and leave the party. You're being passive aggressive, you told them that they'rent "good to farm" (Although they're probably not gonna get it and fail again on the same very mechanic you tried to explain them twice without success). SE takes even a sarcastic joke as a punishable offense. In the past I got jailed (No ban, just caution/warn) for saying "First roulette in Chaos woah I'm gonna discover if french are as bad as they say LUL no offense just bantering" on Mhach from Alliance raid roul. Had just moved on Chaos and was paired with 5 people from Moogle (Although SE doesn't reveal what ur being jailed for, I used to not write so much in game in parties or in city so unless me answer to people /tell earned me that jail that was the only thing as they implied "racism" was my "fault".
Since then I kind off shrugged off at everything, not making a joke, all I say outside talking with people (And even them I never start a conversation, with anyone that I know is my friend so.. no one lul). is that: "Okay i'm out gl with your training", whatever the issue was.
The question that you should do yourself is Is risking a ban by pointing out mistakes (rightfully) in front of a group worth calling them out? Considering that 99% of the time they gonna take it up-personal and insult you for it when you just tried to improve their mechanics or knowledge, no its not.

While the content is dungeon and non extreme, savage leave alone ultimate stuff, I suggest you to chill on them, there's people that plays this game as the most casual stuff possible, generally MSQ trials and shit are clearable without breaking a sweat even with casual players that doesn't understand what a comboskill is, brings you nothing to get mad at it, you can't votekick someone for being bad at casual content.

[Raldo]

You made the first step by admitting you have a problem, but now you're backsliding into denial. If you're being condescending and you acknowledge it, then seeing examples being brought up is not irrelevant. Learn from your mistakes. You asked for tact and you have your advice. Don't lol at other players, brag about yourself or ignore what the person you are talking to has to say. If you can't handle advice, then don't ask for it.

I'm perfectly fine coming across as a bitch on the forums, less so in-game. So take your own reply and go away.

That's a non sequitur.

[Vahlnir]

In my experience there isn't really a "good" way to tell someone they could be doing better. Knowing how people are I rarely say anything even if things are going poorly. I may say something like "a tank will need to take that add and move it away from the other" or something, but that's about the extent of it. If it isn't mechanically relevant then I don't touch it with a ten foot pole and stay silent. Last thing I want to do is offend the wrong person, no matter how good my intentions are. I hate drama. If I reach my limit of how much I'm willing to deal with I will just leave. That rarely happens though, thankfully.

[Edax]

Tactful ways to inform people that they're playing badly?

I'm perfectly fine coming across as a bitch on the forums

Well, there's your problem.